Farmers Accuse Tata iPhone Parts Plant of Polluting Water Supply

Local health officials in Tamil Nadu have started their own investigation into complaints related to liquid discharged from an iPhone components plant operated by Apple supplier Tata Electronics, according to a Reuters report. The probe, which has been underway since late May, opens a new front after a state pollution watchdog closed its own case earlier this week.



The plant in Hosur received a warning notice from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board in May over allegations that its discharge contaminated groundwater. Tata said this week that the pollution board dropped further action after the company said the regulator confirmed that analysis of recently collected water samples from inside the facility did not indicate any contamination. The new health investigation, however, is separate and ongoing.


A May 27 letter from a government medical officer, reviewed by Reuters, stated that discharge from the Tata plant caused a "severe foul smell" and left water "unsuitable for animals to drink." It noted that wastewater had accumulated in nearby agricultural lands, contaminating wells, and that residents had reported skin-related health issues, though no cases had yet been clinically established. Two water samples collected from nearby farms and submitted by health officials tested positive for E. coli, according to a May 30 laboratory report reviewed by Reuters, indicating fecal contamination of the water supply.

Reuters also cited a person familiar with the matter who said a pump failure at the plant's water treatment unit in December allowed treated sewage to overflow into a lake outside the facility. The person said Tata acted immediately to stop the overflow and repaired the pump.

Farmers in the area allege the contamination has damaged crops and made some land infertile. During visits to the site this week, Reuters journalists observed accumulated water near the factory that appeared green and scummy, while water from an open well nearby appeared black.

The dispute briefly turned tense on Monday when a member of a farmers' group entered Tata's property to photograph a pond the group says held wastewater. A factory security guard fetched a firearm from a vehicle and carried it on his shoulder before the standoff ended without violence, according to the report.


Tata Electronics is a key partner in Apple's drive to diversify production beyond China, with India on track to assemble 26 percent of the world's iPhones this year. Apple's supplier code of conduct requires suppliers to prevent contamination of stormwater runoff and comply with all environmental permits.

Neither Tata nor Apple responded to Reuters' requests for comment on the health investigation. The probe remains active as officials await a second set of test results.