To check the extent of pollution caused by the pharma industries with their gaseous and liquid pollutants in air and land, the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) has entrusted ground water and air pollution modelling studies to National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI).

For conducting test for ground water pollution by the pharma industries, the TSPCB has taken up Choutuppal industrial cluster, on a pilot basis. “There are 30-40 bulk drugs and other pharma related industries concentrated in the Choutuppal area. To assess the extent of pollution in the region, we have allocated Rs.25 lakhs to NEERI for conducting the model studies on ground water pollution by the bulk drug industries. We choose this region because; we have been constantly receiving complaints from people regarding ground water pollution by the bulk drug industries. Therefore we wanted to find out the truth upto what level the ground water is polluted and what its major causes are. Similarly we have also entrusted EPTRI to conduct model testing of quality of air and other air pollutants that cause pungent unbearable smell emanating from the industries. For this we have allocated Rs.30 lakhs to EPTRI. A research team from EPTRI has already started testing the air samples from 3 industrial areas of IDA Jeedimetla, IDA Bollaram and IDA Khajipally region surrounding Hyderabad,” said N Raveendhar, senior environmental scientist at TSPCB.

As part of laboratory testing for air pollution and water pollution, TSPCB has procured most advanced and sophisticated laboratory equipments sponsored by World Bank. The TSPCB has spent Rs.10 lakhs to procure the GCMS laboratory equipment to test the organic matter in the water. Similarly about Rs.20 lakhs have been spent to procure ICP spectra to test the presence of inorganic materials and all kinds of metals in the polluted water.

“We have installed all these sophisticated laboratory equipments at our zonal laboratories each at Ramachandrapuram at Patancheru and at Warangal district. There are about 46 bulk drug industries which have been identified as highly polluting industries in the state, among them 37 have installed Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLDs) machines in their plants. The remaining 9 bulk drug units are yet to install the ZLDs,” informed Raveendhar.

However, even after the installation of the ZLDs some of the bulk drug industries are doing excess production more than they have mentioned in their applications. Because of which there is a possibility of more discharge of pollution. To contain this, the TSPCB has decided to install cameras at all the ZLD machines and monitor them by connecting these cameras using special software and a dedicated server to monitor these cameras.