The Apple iPhone parts manufacturing factory owned by the Tata Group in Tamil Nadu could face a forced shutdown over allegations of wastewater discharge to nearby farms. According to a Reuters report, the plant that makes back panels and other components for iPhones has come under five inspections by the between December 2025 and May 2026 over groundwater contamination.
Complaint against Tata
Farmland owners near the plant had complained for months that wastewater from the factory was contaminating their land and open wells. The Reuters report, based on an unreported regulatory notice dated May 25, said that the inspections found that Tata discharged wastewater into a rainwater harvesting pond inside its facility and that the pond overflowed to contaminate “groundwater in the open wells located in the adjacent agricultural lands.”
The notice also stated that Tata had not taken any corrective actions on instructions issued by the pollution board in a previous letter dated December 23, 2025.
In its latest notice, the TNPCB asked Tata to explain why power to the unit should not be cut and the unit closed for its alleged breach of the rules.
What Tata said
Responding to the allegations, told Reuters in a statement it had commissioned an independent analysis through an accredited laboratory and that the study determined the company was “in full compliance with all regulatory norms”.
Tata said it was “committed to responsible business practices and protection of the environment and local communities”, and that it had responded to pollution authorities.
The Tata plant is central to Apple’s push to diversify iPhone production beyond China and is the second-biggest supplier to Apple in South Asia after Taiwan’s Foxconn.
The Tata notice adds to a series of issues that have dogged Apple’s India supply chain. A fire at Tata’s Hosur plant in September 2024 halted iPhone component production briefly, while a fire in September 2023 at former supplier Pegatron’s iPhone plant shut production for days.
iPhone manufacturing in India
In April 2025, Reuters had reported that Tata’s Apple manufacturing plant in Hosur had started making iPhones on one assembly line. According to a Reuters source, 300-500 iPhone units per hour can be made at the factory. The plant is expected to create 50,000 jobs at full capacity when construction is fully completed, which is expected by December 2027.
Tata is key for Apple
In recent years, Tata has emerged as one of the key suppliers for Apple outside China. Apart from the Hosur plant, Tata also acquired Taiwanese ODM’s manufacturing and assembly facility in the Narasapura Industrial Area of Kolar, Karnataka. making it the first Indian-owned company to assemble Apple iPhones.