Impact of Tannery Industry on Livelihoods : A Study on Palar River Basin in India

Palar River is the source of drinking water for 30 towns and 50 villages on its banks and also used for the cultivation purpose. The tanneries present on the banks allowed effluents in the Palar River, which has become more polluted recently and no longer useful for drinking or agricultural purposes. Due to pollution, peoples around the river are suffering from a number of diseases such as asthma, skin disease and stomach ailment and thousands acres of fertile land have become wasteland and no more used for cultivation (Vellore environmental profile). Palar River was reported as one of the most polluted places of world by Blacksmith Institute in 2006, which are heavily contaminated with salts and heavy metals especially Chromium. Metals contamination is one of the major environmental problems in many countries and these contaminants generally come from various industries like leather, agricultural, textile industries etc. The most commonly occurring metals at these sites are lead, chromium, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, copper, and mercury. Presence of these metals in groundwater and soils may cause a significant threat to human health and ecological systems.