INDUSTIAL POLLUTION SPRUNG UP IN PATANCHERU

Patancheru in Medak District of Telangana, is one of the industrial areas of the state. Industrialisation of Patancheru has begun in early 1970’s and within a span of decades it emerged as the thickest industrial zone in the state. It became home for several hundreds of industries particularly the bulk drug and pharmaceutical industries sprung up in the without a proper disposal of waste and no effluent treatment plants until the recent time.

This has adversely affected the surrounding environment, waterbodies, fields and irrigation widely.

This environmental destruction has the direct impact on human health in the area. A study brought out by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) Hyderabad, states that people residing in the contaminated area are exposed to high levels of Arsenic pollution, that has resulted in various unknown diseases in the area.

The formation of civil society groups, such as the Citizens Pollution and the Patancheru, Anti-Pollution Committee took the issues of pollution to the state and national level. A number of petitions were filed by them in the local, state and national level judiciaries. All these finally resulted in the supreme court of India giving directions to solve the problems of pollution in the area.

This compelled the authorities to initiate pollution control measures, regulate the industrialization process, establish proper waste disposal and effluent treatment mechanism in the area and provide compensation for the farmers and supply drinking water the affected villages.