Over the past few days, there have been a lot of posts being made on social media around the topic of ethanol. The upcoming 20% ethanol blending programme in petrol is surely one reason, but another is an exposé by an independent journalist, specifically into the ethanol factory in Meghalaya and the pollution crisis it has caused.
Video upon video, reels, posts and more have been going viral, showing thick black smoke pouring out of a factory chimney, soot-covered leaves, and a small Meghalaya town that most Indians had never heard of. Now, this very town is also being called the most polluted city in the country.
Almost overnight, the reporting has made an obscure industrial town into a national conversation.
The ethanol blending programme is part of the Indian government’s attempt to roll out ethanol-blended petrol as a “clean fuel” solution, further endorsed by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
So what exactly is the situation of this small town in Meghalaya, and what does the exposé reveal?
What Did The Exposé Reveal?
On Jun 26, 2026, independent journalist Sarthak Goswami uploaded a 22-minute-long video on his YouTube channel titled “I Investigated The World’s Most Polluted City.” The video has Goswami doing ground reporting in Byrnihat, a small industrial town on the Assam–Meghalaya border. The video looks into how a state that boasts of being the cleanest and greenest has the most polluted town.
As per the caption, the reporter sat “with families where cancer, asthma, skin disease and breathlessness have quietly become part of everyday life. And we expose the cruel irony at the centre of it all, the factory choking this village is producing ethanol, the very same ethanol blended into your petrol and sold to the country as clean, eco-friendly, ‘green’ energy.”
Within just a few days, though, the video has gone viral, collecting over 1 million views.
Goswami travelled into the town with a local translator to speak directly to residents about what they have witnessed since industrial activity intensified in the area.
In the report, a string of residents describe how pollution has worsened dramatically since factories were set up nearby.
Read More: Govt. To Get A Plan That Will Cut Petrol Prices By 10%
According to a report by the NewsGram, health problems among the locals have seen an increase as well, particularly “acute respiratory problems, skin diseases, and irritations in the eyes.” The report also cites government data showing that respiratory disease cases in the area rose from 2,082 in 2022 to 3,681 in 2024, a jump of nearly 77% in two years.
The report explains that this pollution is because most of the factories and industries of Guwahati, Assam, are actually located in Byrnihat.
Residents also told Goswami they have to wash vegetables multiple times before cooking because of the black dust settling on crops, that they cannot dry clothes outdoors, and that they associate the deterioration in air quality with a rise in respiratory illness and what they believe are increasing cancer cases in the area.
Goswami shows in his reporting that practically every flat surface of the town is covered in a thick layer of soot and dirt, including everything from leaves to metal roof coverings and more. When Goswami wiped his hands over several of them, his hands came back covered with dirt.
A study held by the Swiss-based company IQAir in collaboration with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) also reveals concerning details. According to the study, the annual average PM2.5 level of Byrnihat is reaching 128.2 μg/m³.
PM2.5 is a term used for the microscopic atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, and is used as a way to track outdoor air pollution. Now, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines state that a PM2.5 level that exceed 5μg/m³ is hazardous to human health.
In comparison to this, the PM2.5 levels in Byrnihat are almost 25 times higher than the highest limit that WHO claims is dangerous.
One local speaking with Goswami revealed that the pollution is so severe that dust on crops cannot be removed even after washing them multiple times with water.
One local was found saying in the video that “The toxic waste from the company, they install pipes and release it. Even the fish die and other people also bathe right there. Over here. It was very clean earlier,” while another explained how “My sister’s husband also died; he also couldn’t breathe because of that.”
A local speaking to Goswami also recalled how “We had done rallies regarding this pollution earlier as well and we also asked the judges, but we couldn’t get it stopped.”
She further added that, “So much pollution now, earlier when we were small there weren’t so many companies right, back then it was so clear, all these trees and edible fruits, all of that was clear too. Now it is not that clear. Even if we clean so much, it remains completely dusty. I clean all the boundaries, right… And when we burn the big trash in the fire, even then it gets so dirty… And pollution is very bad these days.”
Is Ethanol Really At Fault?
Some people have come forward to disprove the claim that the pollution the town is witnessing is all due to ethanol, since there is only one such factory in the town.
Author Manoj Mishra, in a recent LinkedIn post, wrote, “An eye-opener video. No mainstream media coverage. However, oversimplified by the journalist, claiming the crisis solely occurred due to ethanol production is just incomplete to say, but the crisis shown on the ground is real and critical.
Note: Byrnihat’s pollution crisis is the result of cumulative emissions from many highly polluting industries, including distilleries/ethanol plants, along with heavy traffic, poor regulatory enforcement, and local geography that traps pollutants. Blaming only the ethanol industry here is not supported by the available evidence.”
In the comments, another user, Ramesh R, wrote, “I have travelled through this small town many a times. Byrnihat, which is on Assam and Meghalaya border has around 80 running factories of Cement, Limestone processing and steel plants.
This place also have distilleries and alcohol manufacturing plants. Including Umiam Distillation in Ri Bhoi district. The combination of pollution from these factories coupled with heavy vehicular traffic through this town resulted in hazardous air quality and increased respiratory issues.”
Now, the report by Goswami also sheds light on this as well. The translator, Rajib Sangma, also revealed how there is a very strong smell permeating the town that gets heavier as one goes down the river. This is the smell of liquor, with there being at least 3 liquor factories in Byrnihat.
The translator also spoke about how it is difficult to even eat food there and that the pollution has been getting worse since the last 7 to 8 years. This increase has been due to an alarming rise in new factories being set up.
The report cites a 2025 Reuters report stating that the small town is “home to about 80 industries- many of them highly polluting.” Experts further claim that the emissions from heavy vehicles and the region’s “bowl-shaped topography” further worsen the pollution.
Arup Kumar Misra, chairman of Assam’s pollution control board, said, “Sandwiched between the hilly terrain of Meghalaya and the plains of Assam, there is no room for pollutants to disperse.”
The report also pointed out that even though there was some attempt made last year by Meghalaya’s CM Conrad Sangma and Assam’s CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to form a joint committee to take action against this pollution crisis, it never really went anywhere.
According to Goswami, “Inspections happened, some fines were imposed, some factories were shut down. But it happened then and remained just the news of that time. As of today, there is no public data that states that any committee has made any long-term action plan.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Highland Post, The Shillong Times, Frontline – The Hindu
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Byrnihat, Byrnihat pollution crisis, Byrnihat pollution, Byrnihat pollution reason, Byrnihat meghalaya ethanol plant, Byrnihat ethanol factory, Byrnihat factories, meghalaya ethanol, meghalaya ethanol factory, ethanol, ethanol news, ethanol india news
Disclaimer: We do not own any rights or copyrights to the images used; these images have been sourced from Google. If you require credits or wish to request removal, please contact us via email.
Other Recommendations:
Not Everything’s Bad About The Ghazipur Landfill; Top Garbage-To-Use Initiatives
