Despite iPhone parts manufacturer Tata saying recent water samples collected inside its factory in Hosur, India, showed no signs of contamination, Reuters reports that local health officials are still investigating complaints from nearby farmers. Here are the details.
Last month, Apple supplier Tata was warned of a possible shutdown at one of its iPhone component plants in India, after the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board alleged that wastewater from the facility had contaminated groundwater in adjacent farms.
Earlier this week, Tata said that the regulator had dropped further action against the plant, after the company submitted its response and addressed the issues raised in the warning notice:
On Tuesday, Tata told Reuters in a statement that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had confirmed that the company “has satisfactorily addressed all queries mentioned” in the warning notice and “dropped any further course of action on this issue”.
However, it appears that scrutiny surrounding the alleged contamination is not over yet. Based on a new report from Reuters, “health officials in the district have been running their own investigation since at least late May after farmer complaints about the plant, which opened in 2021 and makes iPhone back covers and some other parts.”
The investigation is examining whether liquid discharged from the factory affected nearby farmers, some of whom reported skin problems they attributed to contamination on their land.
Importantly, Reuters says a government medical officer claimed no such cases had yet been clinically established.
From the report:
A health inspection found discharge from the Tata plant had caused a “severe foul smell” and left water “unsuitable for animals to drink”, according to a May 27 letter sent by Anish Parvin, a government medical officer in the Ullugurukkai village, where the plant is located, to the state-run Institute of Vector Control and Zoonoses in Hosur.
“Wastewater released from Tata Electronics … has accumulated in nearby agricultural lands and is contaminating the clean water present in wells nearby,” read the letter, which is not public but was reviewed by Reuters. “It has also been reported that people are experiencing skin-related health issues due to this contamination.”
Reuters also obtained a laboratory report showing that two water samples collected from nearby farms tested positive for E. coli, “bacterium found in sewage that indicates faecal contamination of the water supply.”
The report also includes a tense standoff after a member of the farmers’ group entered Tata’s property to photograph a pond that the group alleged contained wastewater, prompting a security guard to retrieve a firearm from a vehicle.
Finally, Reuters‘ account also includes a photo of a farmer holding a handful of murky green water collected from his field near the Tata factory, and says neither Apple nor Tata responded to requests for comment on the new investigation.
To read Reuters‘ full report, follow this link.
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