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Damodar
The Damodar is the most polluted river in the country today,
thanks to the several industries that have sprouted on its
mineral-rich banks. There are the coal-based industries that
dot the Damodar valley: mostly government-owned coal washeries;
coke oven plants; the country's major iron and steel plants;
thermal power plants. Zinc, glass and cement plants. The pollution
was caused by mine overburden, fly ash, oil, toxic metals
and coal dust. Faulty mining practices, outdated processing
practices and lack of proper maintenance were compounded by
corruption, inadequate pollution control and a state pollution
control board that did nothing. The people living in the basin
were slowly being poisoned because the Damodar and its tributaries
were the only source of drinking water for most people living
in the area.
10 years after it investigated the condition of the Damodar,
Down To Earth revisited the river basin-to find no significant
change in the status of the river.
Read more
Choking slowly
to death
Coal dust,
fly ash and slurry
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