Gujarat's chemical clusters have a long record of water pollution from effluent, air emissions and poorly handled hazardous waste. In the worst-affected estates, including Vapi and Ankleshwar, these problems led to national restrictions on new projects and continuing closure actions against individual plants.
For a buyer, this is a supply risk as well as a reputational one. A plant that is shut for pollution cannot ship your order.
The main issues
- Effluent from dye, intermediate and agrochemical plants, which can carry colour, high chemical oxygen demand, salts and toxic compounds.
- Overloaded or underperforming common effluent treatment plants that serve many small units.
- Illegal dumping of untreated effluent or waste, often at night or into storm drains.
- Air emissions of solvents, acid gases and odours from batch plants.
- Hazardous solid waste, such as gypsum, iron sludge and spent catalysts, that must go to authorised disposal sites.
- Contaminated groundwater and rivers near older estates.
How regulators responded
In 2009 India's Central Pollution Control Board assessed industrial clusters with a Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index, known as CEPI. A score of 70 or more marked a critically polluted area. Ankleshwar and Vapi both scored in the high 80s, according to a reply in India's Parliament.
From January 2010 the environment ministry placed a moratorium on new environmental clearances in critically polluted areas, including Vapi, Ankleshwar and Vatva. The Vapi restriction was lifted, reimposed in 2013, and lifted again. India's auditor general reports that the ministry lifted the moratorium on Vapi, Ankleshwar and Vatva in November 2016, after a re-assessment, subject to conditions on the state board.
Enforcement continues. In July 2026 the Gujarat Pollution Control Board issued closure notices to 12 industrial units in the Ankleshwar region over alleged Water Act and Air Act violations, as reported by the regional press. Similar actions have hit plants in other Gujarat estates in 2026.
What has improved
Many estates now have upgraded common treatment plants, pipelines that carry treated effluent to estuary or sea outfalls, and online monitoring of some emissions. Larger plants have invested in zero liquid discharge, solvent recovery and waste recycling. The picture varies widely from plant to plant.
What to check in a supplier
- The current consent to operate and the permitted effluent quantity.
- The plant's own treatment steps before effluent goes to the common plant.
- Records of hazardous waste sent to authorised facilities.
- Any closure directions, show-cause notices or tribunal cases in recent years.
- Whether the plant holds ISO 14001 or is in Responsible Care.
These checks belong in every chemical plant audit. As of October 2026, rules and enforcement continue to change, so check the current position with the Central and Gujarat pollution control boards.
Why your customers care
Brands and large industrial buyers increasingly ask where their chemical inputs are made and how. Some run supplier codes of conduct that cover effluent and waste. In some markets, supply chain due diligence laws also apply to large companies. If a supplier you use appears in a pollution case, your customers may ask what you knew. Keeping records of your environmental checks protects you as well as the supply.
Next step
We check environmental records and visit effluent plants when we audit suppliers for you. Book a free sourcing review.