A five-member team headed by Bhure Lal (who is also the Secretary in the Central Vigilance Commission) of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority constituted by the Supreme Court in January this year provided a damning report on the area.

The panel found, among other things, that the acid pond (of about 5,000 litres of diluted acid) has been formed by effluents from the units that flow through kuchha drains.

Factories were seen carrying on the dangerous operation of cleaning their steel plates of carbon by washing them with acid on the road itself, spraying acid onto unsuspecting pedestrians. Fumes were seen emanating suddenly turning the area yellow.

The owners of these units had their Opel Astras and Ceilos -- a trifle out of place in the foul surroundings -- adequately covered with plastic sheets. Most of them refused to comment on the state of affairs. One owner in A block, who refused to reveal his name, said: ``This is an industrial area and such things are bound to happen. I know this acid is harmful but none of the workers have ever complained''.

He also said that it was a dilute solution and he did not know the exact ingredients of the residue. The acid solution in the pond is a dangerous concoction of sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid used for decarbonising steel plates. Ironically, the area buried under the bubbling, hot solution, was once earmarked by the MCD as a park.

The dilute acid solution is not limited to the pond -- it is everywhere, coursing through the roads. The drains are kuchha and choked at most places and there are acid puddles along the main road. In the absence of filters, it is the carbon which chokes the drains in most cases. According to the findings of the authority, the solution not only contains acid but cyanide and benzene as well. After their recommendation, it remains to be seen whether action is taken against the erring industrialists.

The kuchha streets are black with chemical wastes, workers like Blake's Chimney Sweepers are black with industrial waste on their hands and faces, just like the machines and the factories. The residents of the area have wounds on their hands because of continuous exposure to acid.

Raju, 18, said: ``These wounds have been caused by constantly washing steel plates with acid solution. The owner of the unit has given us gloves. But that does not help much.''

``We do not protest because this is our only source of living. Despite repeated requests, none of the owners has fitted filters in their factories to clear the residual solution,'' said another factory worker Ramesh Singh. Acid has become an integral part of their lives. They have learnt how to jump over the acid puddles, how not to fall into drains while walking at night, how to use the area around the acid pond as an open toilet, and to run shops in the area.

``As acid solution has accumulated in all open spaces, we have no place to relieve ourselves. We are scared to let our children go out at night for fear of them falling into the pond,'' said Bhavani Devi, who lives in the nearby slums.

``On this street there are at least six children who suffer from fever at any given time. Both my children have fever,'' she added. The situation gets worse during the monsoon when lack of proper drains aggravates the problem. Another park in A-block also lies buried under acid slush since the last two months.

The Majdoor Union and fluttering flags in front of political party offices reveal ineffective local leaders who have almost given up on the problem. ``We have had several rounds of meeting with the Lieutenant Governor. Kiran Bedi and Sahib Singh Verma have visited the area twice, but no action has ever been taken,'' said Ram Lal Arya, a local leader. According to them, the problem has worsened in the last five years, with nearly 90 additional units being installed.

``The factory owners blame us for blocking the drains. They say that we choke the drains by putting our shops over them, but that is not true. What about them blocking the entire road by extending their activity to the roads,'' he added.