Telangana: Farmers Protest Ethanol Factory, Collector Orders Probe

Adilabad: Farmers protested setting up of an ethanol factory in Dilawarpur mandal, saying the unit will cause health problems to local people besides destroying agricultural fields.

Villagers of Gundampelli and Dilawarpur Friday stormed the collectorate demanding the state government immediately stop the ethanol factory in their locality.

Another ethanol factory is coming up in Ankushapur in Kagaznagar mandal in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. Local people oppose the factory citing pollution and threat to wildlife. Tigers were spotted in Ankushapur forests and the place has become a habitat for migrated tigers.

The factory is located between Gundampelli village and Dilawarpur headquarters in Nirmal district. Nirmal collector Abhilasha Abhinav promised officials would not encourage the works. He asked the RDO and local tahsildar to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.

Blackbucks’ movement was found in grasslands along the Godavari river Blackbucks, deer and peacock movements are also found in the grasslands in Nandipet mandal located on the other side of the river Godavari in Nizamabad district.

Farmers said they cultivate three crops and the ethanol factory will destroy the crops. Villagers said gases to be released from the factory will cause respiratory problems to local people and pollute groundwater with its effluents.

A farmer said the factory would use 12,000 litres of water every day to boil rice to manufacture ethanol and release 4,000 litres of water as effluent. However, the factory owner claims that they will not release any effluents outside and will filter the water.

Villagers have been agitating for the last 26 days opposing ethanol factories coming up in their areas.