Patancheru-Bollaram industry cluster still chokes, residents face the brunt

HYDERABAD: Condition at the Patancheru-Bollaram industrial cluster, that was declared as a ‘Critically Polluted Area’ in 2009 by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), has not improved over the years despite several efforts made by the concerned departments.
The residents of Bollaram, Patancheru, Pashamyllaram, Kazipet, Gandhi Nagar and the entire Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL) area, which is among the largest pharmaceutical clusters in the city are still at the receiving end as the industries continue to release untreated effluents into the water bodies and other unwanted by-products in the air.“The impact is such that a pungent and acrid odour is the first thing anyone will experience when approaching these areas and odour is so strong that it meanders into the residential blocks,” said Saleem Yousuf, a resident of Patancheru.

In 2016, Gandhi Nagar area was shaken by a series of blasts due to dumping of untreated chemical effluents into a manhole in front of a laboratory. “The impact led to formation of 15-feet craters and even shattered the doors and windows of the buildings which were two kilometres away. We are still suffering because of that incident as cracks are still visible in some homes and our family, especially children and elderly people, suffer from some or the other health complications,” Mohd Sameer, a resident of Gandhi Nagar said.