Rangareddy villages hit hard by air and water pollution

Rangareddy: While villagers are suffering due to ill effects of water and air pollution in Katedan, Kothur, Elikatta, Keshampet and Tandooruddaga in the erstwhile combined Ranga Reddy district, no help is coming from officials alleged locals.

Talking to Hans India, they said the gypsum industry and other units in these areas were releasing effluents into ponds and pits which result in groundwater pollution. Many cases of respiratory problems were being reported in these villages. Among the affected are many senior citizens and pregnant women.

Not just people, even aquatic life is also getting affected. As if it is not enough, garbage is being allowed to pile up around water bodies. They said about 25 pounds in the suburbs of the state capital have been polluted.

According to the local pollution control board authorities, 6-8.5 mg of oxygen per litre of water makes good water quality.

But none of the ponds in this region are meeting these limits. A further menace cited by the people was "industries in the suburbs like pharma companies which dig ducts and dump chemicals in them".

Though they had complained to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) it had not taken any action, they said. Even the Revenue, Irrigation and Pollution Control departments had not taken any action so far, they rue.

They said Premavati Peta reservoir was filled with dangerous levels of chemical waste. This reservoir was a source of drinking water for Rajendranagar areas but in the last two decades, it got badly polluted, says Laxma Reddy, a resident of Rajendranagar.

Apart from this, scientists of Rajendranagar Agricultural University used to cultivate crops with pond water. As the water was contaminated, the water is now blocked from reaching the fields. Another major problem that this area may soon face if real estate ventures in this area, and at some places, efforts are on to lay roads in the full tank level region.

The Noor Mohammad Kunta, which is connected to Himayat Sagar, was once home for migratory birds, fish and aquatic life. It used to provide a livelihood to the villagers, and fishermen. Now, the very appearance of Noor Mohammad Kunta changed beyond recognition as industries are dumping chemical waste into it. Currently, some industries have dug ducts to send the chemicals into the pond.

Keshampet Mandal Youth Congress president Bhaskar Goud said, "the chemical and steel industries release pollution at night. Jana Sena leader Raju Naik and others said that no regular inspections are being taken up to prevent air and water pollution."