TS, AP home to 11 of the dirtiest sites
Lakes, industrial estates contaminated by hazardous waste
and hazardous waste.
The report says that nickel, cobalt, copper, zinc, cadmium, chromium and lead pollutants are found in Maheswaram area of Hyderabad. The situation in Madhurawada in Vizag is worse as the area, which comprises of both industrial and residential population, has the deadly mercury contamination in the water.
Rithwik Energy Systems, a biomass power plant in Rachagunneri in Chittoor district of AP, has been identified as another high-contamination site. The sites have been identified based on the reports from EPTRI, Blacksmith Institute, the AP Pollution Control Board and Central Pollution Control Board.
Bioremediation has failed to take off in water bodies like Noor Mohammed Kunta, which had been declared as a contaminated site a long while back.
TSPCB Joint Chief Environmental Engineer Mr R Ravinder Reddy said, “We had the project ready with World Bank funding for Noor Mohammed Kunta, but locals approached the court and opposed the cleansing, stating that it was their land. The project has been put on hold since then.”
“Regarding Manasni Kunta Lake, a detailed project report has been made, and two phases of bioremediation plan have been completed. The Musi river is almost 50 per cent treated and for the remaining half, the government is now taking up a `2,000 crore project. Patancheru is no more a severely contaminated site as we have laid an 18-kilometre pipeline and are now treating the waste at the Amberpet effluent treatment plant. We have removed certain sites from the inventory as they are no longer highly contaminated”, said Ravinder.