Polluting firms identified: KTR
About 100 polluting firms to be relocated to outskirts in 3 months
About 100 pollution-causing industries located in the city would be shifted to the outskirts in three months, said industries minister K.T. Rama Rao.
He told the Assembly on Thursday that about 1,234 industries located under GHMC limits were identified for shifting in a phased manner.
As many as 300 bulk drug companies in the city would be shifted to the Hyderabad Pharma City. Mr Rao said worldclass common effluent treatment plants would be set up on outskirts.
About pollution in city lakes, he said, “Of the 185 lakes under the GHMC limits, 20 will be developed at a cost of `287 crore this year. These will be cleaned, besides beautification works taken up.”
“Shifting of pollutioncausing industries from the city doesn’t mean that we are creating pollution problem on city outskirts. We have identified nine locations beyond Outer Ring Road for shifting these industries where common effluent treatment plants are being developed. This will prevent pollution on city outskirts,” he added.
Mr Rao said the government would not allow environment and water bodies to be polluted for the sake of industries.
“We are acting very tough against violators. For the first time, we have shut down 13 polluting industries in Balanagar and Jeedimetla. This will be a continuous process,” he said.
Lakes in the city, including Hussainsagar, had over the years been exposed to various outlets, including sewerage, resulting their getting polluted heavily.
“We are now constructing diversion drains for diverting sewerage water from entering into lakes and construction of wetland ponds to obstruct floating debris and putting up silt traps,” he said.
Industries had been directed to construct separate drains for storm water/rain water and effluents.
The government would speed up Hussainsagar cleaning and had floated tenders for this. “The water quality in Hussainsagar reached satisfactory level by September 2017 due to measures taken by us in preventing sewerage from entering the lake. But the drainage pipeline burst at NTR Marg soon after, forcing us to divert the drainage water again into the lake with no other option left. With this, the lake got polluted again,” Mr Rao added.