Ignoring environment could impact living standards of thousands of villagers
Picture used for representational purpose. (Photo: DC/File)
Hyderabad: Environmental scientists and experts have cautioned the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments against declaring industrial sites at places where land is abundantly available and warned that these could prove to be environmental disasters. Both the governments have identified land for industrial use without taking environmental impact into consideration.
“For a sustainable development, the government take up a largescale environmental impact assessment and decide which place is suitable for a particular type of industry,” said Prof. G. Vijay Kumar, an environmental activist.
Another pharma hub has been proposed by the Telangana government in Hyderabad which is a land locked area.
“A sea side is most suited for bulk drug and pharma industries that produce hazardous effluents. The effluents can be released into sea as it can be diluted over 1,000 times. In Hyderabad, most effluents reach Musi river and percolate into the groundwater affecting soil, groundwater and fresh water,” said an environmental scientist of Telangana State Pollution Control Board.
Similarly, construction of 1,600 MW thermal power plant at Krishnapatnam, 23 km from Nellore city, will affect the residents, scientists said.
“A thermal power plant that pollute the air should be set up in a dry region. But, in the coastal region, the air is humid and that retains the particulate matter in air. This would eventually affect air quality,” the expert said.
The proposed petro chemical complex at Kakinada, which is an inversion area, is also a problematic one.
At present, both the governments are enthusiastic in only attracting investment, but least bothered about the environmental concerns.
“Before the government comes up with the industrial policy it should also take up a wide transparency and quality Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Otherwise worrying about the environment later would be of no use. Patancheru the industrial area is a living example, where the proposal to promote industrialization without environmental assessment took a toll on living standards of thousands of villagers suffering from health concerns besides, their agriculture, water and lakes,” said K. Babu Rao, scientist and convener, Movement for People-Centered Development.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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