Industrial Closures are not the Answer
Improve Working Conditions to Clean Ganga!

A study of the impact of a court case brought against the Indian Government and its agencies for their failure to monitor the pollution of the River Ganga with urban and industrial wastes in three states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. The Ganga, considered to be one of the holiest rivers in India, had become so polluted that the sacred river's water had become unfit for bathing, drinking, or even irrigation. A 1985 Supreme Court ruling directed authorities to play a more effective role in controlling the pollution of the river and also directed the offending industries to put in place pollution control measures or face closure. The case study examines the outcomes of the court ruling, the rates of compliance of the various polluting industries, and the impacts plant closures have had on the surrounding communities. One of the critical conclusions of the study was that trade unions must be involved in environmental policy-making in order to prevent issues being framed in terms of "jobs vs. environment."

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