According to local media reports the Uttar Pradesh government in India has ordered the closure of 15 tanneries in Kanpur. These are located along the banks of the Ganga (Ganges) in Kanpur and Unnao due to alleged pollution of the river, particularly at locations where Hindus bathe in the river.

The tanneries facing closure are Ameen Enterprise, MI Saddle Works, Aslam Tanneries, Mugeeze Tannery, SM Leather Finishers, Pahalwan Tannery, Shoib Leather Works, Iqbal Ahmed Tannery, Sunny Leathers, Firdaus Tannery, Taj Traders, Sahabuddin Tannery, Lisa Leathers, and Liberty Tanners.

The local government, using pollution control laws, has also served notice to 16 distilleries, nine paper mills, and one chemical unit, one dyeing unit, one pharmaceutical unit and one distillery, to stop discharging industrial effluents in the Ganga.