India steps up farmland checks near Tata’s iPhone parts factory in Bengaluru over groundwater contamination fears
Indian authorities stepped up government checks on farmland around Apple supplier Tata’s iPhone parts factory near Bengaluru on Monday after Reuters reported that state officials found runoff from the facility was contaminating groundwater.
Tata Electronics is at the center of Apple’s effort to diversify iPhone production beyond China. The facility under review is located in Hosur, 40 kilometers south of tech hub Bengaluru, and produces back panels and other components for iPhones.
Southern Tamil Nadu state’s pollution agency has warned Tata of forcible closure unless it can explain why wastewater discharge was affecting open wells on adjacent farmland during inspections between December 2025 and May 2026, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Tata said its independent analysis determined it complies with regulatory norms and is “committed to responsible business practices and the protection of the environment and local communities.”
On Monday, Reuters reporters saw a team of three district administration officials walking behind the Tata factory inspecting farmland issues, inspecting fields and raising concerns about water odor and allegations of contamination due to discharge from the factory.
“We are here to assess the situation,” regional official N. Velu told Reuters, declining to give details.
P. Pushparaj, a farmer near the Tata factory, told Reuters on Monday that he complained to authorities after observing that waste from the factory was “dirty and smelly”, adding that he suspected it was affecting his crops.
“We continued our agriculture, but we could not get enough yield,” he said.
Tata and Apple did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters. Reuters was first to report the government review on Monday.
Apple’s Supply Chain Problems
The state pollution control agency said Tata discharged its wastewater into a rainwater harvesting pond inside the plant, which overflowed and polluted “groundwater in open wells located on adjacent farmland.”
The Tata notice adds to a host of problems plaguing Apple’s Indian supply chain. A fire at Tata’s Hosur factory in September 2024 halted iPhone component production for a short time, while a fire at former supplier Pegatron’s iPhone factory in September 2023 halted production for days.
A 2024 investigation by Reuters found that major Apple supplier Foxconn systematically excluded married women from iPhone assembly jobs at one of its factories in India; however, the company stated at the time that it complied with all laws.
