Environmentalists and social scientists oppose Pharma City near Hyderabad, express fear of excess pollution A Raju, Hyderabad Monday, June 05, 2017, 08:00 Hrs [IST] Environmentalists and social scientists in Hyderabad have opposed the establishment of Pharma City, as they fear setting up of new pharmaceutical units in the Pharma City would pollute the entire environment not only within the premises of the city but also contaminate land, water and air within the proximity of the Pharma City.
“We feel, creating additional pharmaceutical clusters and establishment of Pharma City, to a large extent, would only further add to the already existing pollution creating health hazards to the people.
Already the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation has been entrusted to develop the basic infrastructure facilities like construction of roads, drains and setting up of power lines and providing water facilities.
Already construction activities over 2000 acres in the Pharma City is undergoing and few companies have already started their units.
However, even though the government had promised that the Pharma City will be free of pollution and adequate steps will be taken to see that utmost care will be taken to protect environment from the emanating industrial pollutants, the environmentalists have their own doubts and opposing the setting up of such huge pharma cluster like Pharma City.
“Already there is huge pharma pollution caused by the pharma industries within the city which is affecting the health of people; and there is a huge fish killing in the lakes.
Now with government proposing to establish more new pharma clusters on the outskirts of Outer Ring Road, this means more environmental pollution in the coming days.
With unabated letting of pollutants in nalas, the Hussain sagar and the Musi river have been highly polluted and the pharma companies are least bothered and have done nothing to save the lakes and water bodies,” said C. Manjulatha, Principal of Government City College, Hyderabad.
Dr K Babu Rao, a retired senior scientist, observed that there is no need to come up with new Pharma city projects as they would pollute other areas.
He said, “Though the pharma companies and the government are claiming to have installed Zero Liquid Discharge equipments in the manufacturing units, it is not possible to have a zero liquid discharge.