Mikocheni, a neighborhood in Dar es Salaam, is home to four heavily polluted streams that run directly into the Indian Ocean. Untreated industrial and domestic waste is dumped into the waterways upstream, or into storm drains. Environmental Management Trust (EMT) is undertaking a project to monitor and stop this pollution of marine habitats and breaches. The project goals are to make wastewater treatment mandatory for all polluting industries, to stop residential houses from releasing waste from septic tanks into streams, and to ensure that sewers, storm drains and pumping stations are properly maintained to prevent leaks into the stream.

The Msimbazi river flows across Dar es Salaam City from the higher areas of Kisarawe in the Coastal region and discharges into the Indian Ocean. Because of its location, the river ahs been an important resource for residents in the Dar es Salaam city in various ways. Additionally, the river has been abused by different sectors as a dumping site for effluent and other pollutants produced by the city. As a consequence of the high levels of pollution, the river’s water quality has sharply decreased, and is no longer safe for consumption, domestic uses, or even irrigational uses.

Studies have indicated high levels of heavy metal in the river, run-off from local industry. Additionally, toxins in the river are also attributable to the presence of a waste dump site besides the river in Vingunguti area, which continually leaks greater and greater degrees of effluent into the water. A local abattoir located near the river is another significant source of discharge into the water. Sources of pollution from domestic households include poor sanitation systems mainly from septic tank and pit latrines that are used by about 85% of the city population. Agricultural activities using manure and fertilizers both in the basin and at the beds of the river have made the pollution problem more complicated. Ultimately, it is clear that the sources of pollution impacting the river are quite numerous and diverse.

So far, several stakeholder groups have gotten involved with this issue. Stakeholder groups, each with a particular focus, have taken the first steps towards intervening in this clear environmental hazard. For example, LEAT successfully filed a case in court to forbid the dumping of waste in the Vingunguti area. Enviropro, another Dar es Salaam based organization, worked to improve the abattoir. Such efforts are isolated however, and primarily prevent further contamination more than remediate the problem such that it currently exists. It is necessary at this point to synchronize the efforts of all interested parties, to maximize their overall effect.

Four tons of toxic chemicals are stored in a dilapidated warehouse in the Soviet District of Nizhny Novgorod. Data provided by the Committee for Environmental Protection and Nature Management and the Center of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Monitoring of Nizhny Novgorod shows that a critical environmental situation has been reached here.

Lindane is banned and severely restricted in over 50 countries but is still produced in India, China, Romania and possibly Russia. This toxic insecticide is ranked among the top chemicals of concern by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Lindane production is an exceptionally dirty process, creating 9-12 tons of waste for every ton of lindane produced.

India has a total lindane production capacity of 1,300 tons per year, with two companies producing: Kanoria Chemicals and Industries Ltd (KCIL) with a capacity of 1,000 tons per annum (tpa), and India Pesticides Limited (IPL) with 300 tpa capacity.

Ratlam is an important industrial town in Madhya Pradesh with distillery, dye and pharmaceutical industries. Pollution studies conducted in the Ratlam area show that the groundwater in part of Ratlam town and about 12 villages namely Doshigem, Ghatala, Bajankhedi, Jadwasa Kala and Khurd etc., has become red in color due to discharges from Sajjan Chemicals. The groundwater in these areas is also high in salinity. Sajjan Chemicals, Jayant Vitamins, Stellar Drugs, Alcohol Plant and IPCA Laboratory have been blamed for the increased salinity although all the industries except the latter two have shut down. Shutting down the industries has not solved the pollution problem as hazardous wastes lie in the open. In the factory premises of Sajjan Chemicals, three to four tanks filled with effluents remain untreated.

The region is flat, and liquid waste can be seen dumped in shallow lagoons near the villages. Villagers will not use certain tubewells, because of their chemical odor and known illness response. The State Pollution Control Board has tested the water for pH, hardness, conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids and chlorine but has not tested for any chemicals, their by-products or heavy metals. However IIT-Roorkee’s study found significant amounts of lead, aluminium, nickel and even cyanide in the water sources in the vicinity of the DCM group of factories at Daurala. Blacksmith had funded the Janhit Foundation to carry out investigative studies in the area in 2004-2005.

Significant industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Meycauayan River, a source of domestic and agricultural water for 250,000 people living in and around Manila. Substantial contamination comes from small scale lead recycling facilities along the river at Marilao, and from the many tanneries that dump untreated hexavalent chromium into the river. This river also feeds directly into the Manila Bay, and its effluents contaminate shellfish in commercial fishing areas.