Ambad water contamination has triggered coordinated action in Nashik after residents of localities adjoining the Ambad MIDC area reported yellowish groundwater, health problems and concerns about industrial effluents. District guardian minister Girish Mahajan has directed authorities to identify the source of the pollution, ensure safe drinking water and take stringent action against industries found violating pollution-control norms.
Mahajan visited Datta Nagar, Maruti Sankul, Tuljabhavani Nagar and other residential areas near Ambad MIDC on Thursday following complaints from residents. Families told officials that polluted water drawn from borewells was associated with skin ailments and other health problems. The reported complaints are now being examined by the authorities as part of the response to the contamination concerns.
The minister instructed Nashik Municipal Corporation officials to immediately arrange an adequate supply of safe drinking water in the affected localities. He also directed authorities to seal hand pumps and borewells in areas where groundwater is suspected to be polluted, aiming to prevent residents from using potentially contaminated sources.
Mahajan also spoke with industries minister Uday Samant and environment minister Pankaja Munde, seeking coordinated intervention by the departments concerned. Senior officials from the industries and environment departments, along with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, were directed to trace the source of the contamination and act against units that may be discharging untreated industrial waste.
Industries found releasing untreated effluents could face closure, according to the directions issued during the visit. The authorities have not identified a specific industrial unit as responsible in the report, and the source of the contamination remains subject to investigation.
The response also focuses on the Common Effluent Treatment Plant being developed in Ambad MIDC. Mahajan inspected the project and expressed concern over delays. He instructed officials and contractors to expedite construction and complete the facility within the stipulated timeline. The CETP is intended to treat industrial wastewater generated in the industrial estate before disposal.
The issue has raised wider concerns about the relationship between industrial activity and residential water security in Nashik. Untreated industrial effluents could contaminate groundwater and, over time, affect the Nandini-Godavari river system, according to concerns cited in the report. For residents dependent on borewells, the immediate challenge is access to reliable drinking water while the investigation and preventive measures continue.
The minister directed the agencies involved to coordinate on four immediate tasks: provide safe water in Ambad, prevent the use of polluted groundwater, trace the source of contamination and accelerate the CETP project. Officials from the municipal corporation, industries department, environment department and MPCB are expected to proceed with these measures, while action against individual units will depend on the findings of the investigation.
