PFS expresses concern over uranium mining

Hyderabad: Peoples' for Scientists (PFS), an organisation of retired scientists led by Dr D K Babu Rao and Dr K Venkata Reddy asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to take immediate steps to address the problems posed by the Uranium Corporation Limited (UCL) in Kadapa and not to allow mining of uranium in the Nallamala forest falling under the State.

Explaining the harmful effects being faced by people living in the villages in the vicinity of the UCL, they pointed out as to how the company has failed to comply with the environmental regulations. The PFS alleged that the Kadapa district administration and the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) for letting down people by toeing the line of the company.

Retired scientists said the UCL had flouted the norms in construction of tanks for releasing the effluents. They explained that the company has to dig inspection tanks downstream of the tanks constructed for releasing the effluents. Further, it has to collect the water samples from the inspection tanks, conduct analysis and submit reports for every three months to the PCB.

However, the PCB does not even know that the inspection tanks were not constructed and how to take water samples from them to assess the water quality, they flayed. That apart, the PCB and factories inspectors concerned are not bothered about the workers of the factory exposed to the mining dust above the permissible limits.

The UCL's report submitted to the APPCB itself exposes that the company has not taken any measures to reduce the dust exposure within the permissible limits, they added.