Fast-Fashion Waste Fuels Health Crisis and Water Pollution in Panipat

Panipat, a northern Indian city dubbed the nation’s “textile city,” receives more than one million tons of discarded clothing each year from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and other markets. The garments are shredded, dyed, bleached and rewoven into rugs, carpets and blankets that re-enter global supply chains.

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The influx reflects fast-fashion’s short-life cycle, prompting a booming informal recycling sector that relies on migrant labor. Workers are hired without contracts, health insurance or formal benefits, and the industry sustains hundreds of thousands of jobs despite minimal regulation.

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Beyond the tonnage, a 2022 household survey in the district found that 93 % of families reported serious health problems over five years. Workers like Rajesh suffer chronic cough and breathlessness, while others experience skin boils and early signs of pulmonary fibrosis, a condition linked to prolonged dust exposure.

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Inhalation of cotton fibers and chemical fumes shortens life expectancy, with doctors warning that continued exposure can cause irreversible lung fibrosis. Wastewater from dyeing and bleaching units, often discharged into open drains, contaminates irrigation canals and domestic supplies, ultimately reaching the Yamuna River, a key source for millions downstream.

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The Panipat Dyeing Association maintains that factories supply masks and other safety gear, but attributes non-use to workers’ lack of education. Haryana’s Labor Department, Pollution Control Board and the National Green Tribunal have not replied to media queries, even as the tribunal hears a petition over illegal effluent discharge.

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Workers report no health insurance and that employers refuse to fund medical treatment, leaving families like Reeta Devi’s with three children to bear the cost. Local physician Dr. Vikas Sharma says “no one here is unaffected,” while former irrigation officer Dr. Shiv Singh Rawat blames a lack of accountability across industry and government.

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CNN teams found workers without masks, gloves or ventilation; chemicals were handled with bare hands amid a sharp stench, and hot, dye-laden wastewater flowed openly through streets and drains.

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• “I’m coughing constantly, all day and I get short of breath,” — Rajesh, textile worker

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• “I have three children.” — Reeta Devi, recycling unit employee

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• “As the disease progresses, it can lead to fibrosis,” — Dr. Bhawani Shankar, respiratory specialist

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• “When we work with the chemicals, there’s vapor that comes out,” — Sanagar Alam, former dye-unit worker

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The National Green Tribunal continues hearing a petition that could force the shutdown of illegal bleaching units and mandate effluent-treatment systems. Advocacy groups urge Haryana to require protective equipment for workers and to monitor air and water quality, while global brands face mounting pressure to address the downstream impacts of fast-fashion waste.

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