BENGALURU, June 13 (Reuters) - An Indian pollution control agency said that sewage discharged from a Tata Group plant that makes components for Apple's iPhone has contaminated the groundwater of neighboring farms, and warned of a forced closure of the plant unless Tata provides a satisfactory explanation.

India’s Tata Electronics is a key element in Apple’s efforts to diversify iPhone production outside of China, and is Apple’s second-largest supplier in South Asia after Taiwan’s Foxconn.

The Tata factory under investigation is located in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, in southern India, and manufactures back panels and other components for iPhones. For months, farmers near the factory have complained to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board that sewage from the plant is contaminating their land and open wells.

Details in a previously unpublished regulatory notice dated May 25 and reviewed by Reuters showed that the complaints led to the state conducting five inspections between December 2025 and May 2026.

The warning notice issued by the council to Tata stated that inspections concluded that the company had discharged sewage into a rainwater collection pond within its facilities, and that the pond overflowed, contaminating "groundwater in open wells located in the adjacent agricultural lands."

The three-page notice stated that Tata had not taken any corrective action based on instructions issued by the Pollution Control Board in a previous letter dated December 23, 2025.

Tata Electronics told Reuters in a statement that it commissioned an accredited laboratory to conduct an independent analysis, and that the study concluded that the company "fully complies with all regulatory standards."

Tata stated that it is "committed to responsible business practices and to protecting the environment and local communities," and that it has responded to the pollution control authorities, without providing further details.

Apple, which has strict rules on how its suppliers handle wastewater, and the Tamil Nadu state government did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.