Nashik’s groundwater pollution crisis has triggered closure notices against nine industrial units in the Ambad industrial belt, with authorities disconnecting power and water supplies after inspections found serious effluent treatment violations. More than 50 borewells in the affected Dattanagar area have also been sealed, while laboratory reports on water samples are awaited.
The action followed a joint inspection by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the district administration. The inspection was conducted after residents complained that water from borewells in Dattanagar had become polluted.
MPCB officials said the effluent treatment plants at the nine units were either non-functional or operating under suspicious conditions. Preliminary inquiries indicated that some factories may have bypassed mandatory treatment systems and discharged untreated industrial waste into wells or underground aquifers. Authorities are investigating whether electroplating and heavy-metal processing units were responsible for the suspected chemical discharge.
“We have taken water samples from the borewells and the reports are awaited. However, closure directions have been issued to nine industrial units after their effluent treatment plants were found non-functional or operating under suspicious parameters. Their power and water connections are being disconnected,” MPCB sub-regional officer Pravan Pakhale said.
Three additional industrial units were issued notices for procedural violations, according to the report. The crackdown was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Kumbh Mela commissioner Shekhar Singh. NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri, Nashik collector Ayush Prasad and representatives of industrial associations attended the meeting.
The district administration has also begun action against illegal and potentially contaminated borewells. Collector Ayush Prasad said the resident deputy collector had been directed to seal illegal borewells in the area. He added that NMC would provide regular water supply to industries to meet their requirements.
Revenue authorities, led by additional tehsildar Amol Nikam and supported by field staff and municipal officials, surveyed borewells in the affected sector. Joint teams began sealing wells found to be discharging polluted or adulterated groundwater. An NMC officer said more than 50 borewells had been sealed, with water tankers being supplied to affected areas. Plastic water tanks and new water connections were also being arranged.
The immediate response has placed water access and industrial compliance under the same administrative operation. The closure notices target suspected sources of contamination, while tanker supplies and planned connections are intended to provide residents and industries with an alternative water source during the investigation.
The health department has been asked to intensify medical camps in the affected localities. Dermatologists and other specialists will screen residents for ailments that could potentially be linked to exposure to contaminated water. The final water-testing reports will determine the extent and nature of the groundwater contamination and guide further action against the industrial units.
