Located about 100 kilometres north of Mumbai, Tarapur is one of Maharashtra’s largest industrial hubs—and among its most polluted. Built along the coast, the industrial estate sits next to fishing villages where generations have depended on the sea for their livelihoods. This film journeys into those villages to document what residents say is a long, ongoing struggle with industrial pollution, declining fish catch, and worsening health.
Villagers speak of health problems they believe are linked to contaminated water: skin ailments and other conditions that affect a large share of the community. “About half of us have this issue,” says fisherman Chandrakant Paghdhare. While proving direct links between pollution and illness is complex, the persistence of these complaints over the years has deepened mistrust and anxiety. Many families quietly accept sickness as routine, even as they worry about it.
Ashok Tandel, a 73-year-old retired government employee from a traditional fishing family, has been fighting this battle for over a decade. He is one of the lead petitioners against the industries operating in the Tarapur industrial belt. Armed with documents and lived experience, he and others are seeking accountability and restoration to protect the coast and those who depend on it.
This video was produced with the support of the Video Reporting Opportunity 2025 — a joint initiative of Mongabay-India and All Living Things Environmental Film Festival.
