Patancheru (Andhra Pradesh)

The DTE/ITT test conducted on a water sample from a handpump in Pocharam village of Patancheru Industrial Area (PIA) in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh (AP) showed that the level of mercury was 115 times the permissible limit. A study conducted by National Geophysical Research Institute, (NGRI) at Hyderabad, found that arsenic levels in village in and around PIA are as high as 700 parts per billion (ppb), as against the permissible 10 ppb recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The study also found that manganese level in the ground water sample from Bandlaguda area was 15 times the permissible limit, whereas the concentration of Nickle was 4-20 times the permissible limit.

"We caught a unit , a Patancheru - based company, for pumping arsenic-laced effluents into borewells", says Tishya Chatterjee, Member Secretary AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB). "We have also found high levels of Cadmium in the ground water samples in AP's industrial areas," he adds. It is common knowledge in Patancheru that most of the 400 industrial units cannot treat effluents properly and that they dump them in the open or inject them directly into the ground. Chatterjee points that there are several other industrial units that also indulge in such practices, but there are no clear-cut rules to stop such polluters.

Another Patancheru based company was discharging toxic, strontium-laced effluents into a nearby drain. A NGRI study found high levels of strontium in the groundwater. "We located this industry and closed it," says Chatterjee A study by the groundwater department of the State Government confirms that the pollution level is very high and has endangered human lives, animals and agricultural activity.

The NGRI study says that most of the industrial units deal with pharmaceuticals, paint pigments, metal treatment and steel rolling. They use inorganic and organic chemcials as raw materials, which are released in appreciable amount in the effluents. Units in Patancheru and Bollaram discharge about five million litres of effluents everyday. A major part of the untreated effluents ultimately goes into nearby tanks and streams. A certain part is clandestinely disposed of the dry borewells.

K. Subrahmanyam, Scientist at NGRI, says that the Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) levels in groundwater have been reported to be as high as 2,310 mg/1 in Patancheru borewells. The permissible limit for TDS is 500 mg/1, and the TDS concentration in the natural groundwater (from aquifers that have not been affected by human activity) in the area is 300-350 mg/1. The characteristics of these effluents are alarming. Independent studies show that various parameters, such as COD levels, are exceeding the prescribed limits. "The common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) at Patancheru and Bollaram do not work up to the required efficiency. So, effluents with TDS levels of more than 20,000 mg/l are only treated up to 8,000-9,000 mg/l levels. And many a time, these CETPs discharge the effluents in the nearby streams without treatment," Chatterjee reveals.

The state government's assessment observed that between 1984 and 1989, total land affected due to industrial effluents in terms of crop loss is 560 hectares in Patancheru and Bolaram. A 1991 survey by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, estimated the affected land area at 695 hectares belonging to 581 farmers. The survey revealed some unusual signs. People of the area complained of a plethora of diseases such as epilepsy, skin and throat problems, respiratory diseases, cancer and paraplegia (paralysis of both the legs), while pregnant women were giving birth to still-born children says the NEERI.