At a large textile dyeing and chemical industrial park in Uttar Pradesh, India, the impermeable lining of a wastewater storage pond was completely breached, resulting in the direct discharge of high-salinity, heavy-metal-laden wastewater into the main stem and tributaries of the Ganges River. The affected river sections turned black and emitted a foul odor, with dissolved oxygen levels approaching zero; fish have completely disappeared from dozens of kilometers of the river. Thousands of mu of rice paddies along the banks were unable to use river water for irrigation, prompting farmers to file a collective environmental compensation lawsuit seeking tens of millions in damages. In response, the local government temporarily shut off all wastewater discharge pipelines from the industrial park.
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