Pollutants From Chemical Plants in India Are Turning Stray Dogs Blue

By Robin Milling 3 min read

A light blue stray dog is seen crossing the road in Mumbai. This is not the beginning of a joke but of a very serious problem that has animal rights activists and environmentalists furious in India. Several videos have emerged on social media of five stray dogs meandering the streets as they often do; except some of the dogs had fur that was tinged baby blue.

It seems that after taking a swim to cool off at the Kasadi River in Maharashtra State in Western India the dogs come out as if they were dipped in blue dye. The Navi Mumbai Animal Protection Cell sent pictures of the blue dog and demanded authorities take action with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), saying animals in the area were suffering because dyes were being released directly into the river by industrial units. “It was shocking to see how the dog’s white fur had turned completely blue. We have spotted almost five such dogs here and have asked the pollution control board to act against such industries. We do not know if birds, reptiles and other creatures are affected or if they have even died owing to the dye discharged into the air,” Arati Chauhan, who heads the Animal Protection Cell, told the Hindustan Times.

A water quality test done at Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in the Taloja industrial area discovered that untreated industrial waste, namely blue dye, was entering the river. Their findings included levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) — the concentration of oxygen required to sustain aquatic life — was high. Other toxic chemicals were found, including chloride which harms vegetation and aquatic life.

Officials at MPCB that surveyed the area got down to the bottom of the strays morphing into Smurf-looking dogs. They believe they wandered onto the property of a private company adjacent to the Taloja common effluent treatment plant (CETP) that uses blue dye to make detergent. “Five to six dogs entered the site looking for food and got the blue color on them. We have warned the company owners to ensure no animals can enter again and such an incident should not be repeated. We have given the company seven days to clear the pollutants from the site. If it is not removed then we will issue a notice,” Jayavant Hajare, sub-regional officer of MPCB told the Hindustan Times.

Dogs are not the only ones affected by the pollutants. An investigation by by The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) deemed the water unfit for human consumption, with pollution levels 13 times the safe limit. According to data obtained by the NGO Watchdog Foundation there are 977 chemical, pharmaceutical, engineering and food processing factories in the industrial area, located outside Mumbai, spread across 2157 acres.