Hetero Drugs lay illegal pipeline in Vizag, HRF demands immediate action

Visakhapatnam: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has demanded immediate action against Hetero Drugs Limited for laying an illegal pipeline in Rajayyapeta village in Nakkapalli mandal of Visakhapatnam district.

The company had recently laid a three-foot diameter pipeline without any requisite clearances. The pipeline is intended to carry effluents from the plant to be dumped in the sea.

Hetero Drugs had surreptitiously laid a 4-km pipeline before the local fisher-folk noticed it 12 days ago and staged a protest which led to the stopping of the work.

The Narsipatnam RDO, who visited the area subsequently, has reportedly said the pipeline is improper and no clearance was obtained for the same. However, so far no action has been initiated against Hetero Drugs.

Effluents not properly treated

The toxins being let out by the company have had a deleterious effect on human health and marine ecosystems, the HRF alleged.

Apart from being dumped into the sea, the bio-accumulative and toxic wastes generated by the plant have found their way into the surface and groundwater sources. Over the years, these toxic pharmaceutical chemicals have taken a toll on human health, animal life, and vegetation in the area, it further said.

The HRF said the local fisher-folk do not want any more pipelines to carry and dump poison into the environment. It added that the local people have been suffering from dizziness, difficulty in breathing, rapid heart rate, anemia, headaches, and tremors as well as ailments of the blood, liver, and kidneys.

Besides, an unbearable stench envelops the area from the plant's emissions.

Residents of Rajayyapeta, Boyipadu, Dondavaka, and Pedateenarla are unconvinced by Hetero's periodic assertions that the effluents generated by it are treated before being discharged into the sea. According to the locals, the brackish water body in the area, known as Upputeru, has become thoroughly contaminated with high concentrations of dangerous pollutants from Hetero Drugs.

The HRF said the livelihood of the fisher-folk community that depends largely on coastal resources is being adversely affected. There is a clear dwindling of fish stock in the sea. Fishermen complain that the waste discharged by the company has resulted in fish simply dying and floating ashore. They say that the Bay of Bengal has literally been converted into a dumping yard for hazardous effluents.

The Forum alleged that the AP Pollution Control Board is complicit with Hetero Drugs Limited which is why the company is able to mock environmental laws and operate with total impunity.