Around 250 electroplating industries have been asked to shift out of Hyderabad by June 2012 by the Pollution Control Board of Andhra Pradesh. Some 71 of them had been asked to close down four months ago as they have constantly violated rules and discharged dangerous untreated effluents into the Hussainsagar lake. Now they have been asked to send their effluents to the Jeedimetla Effluent Treatment Limited.

Two local MLAs had raised the issue in the Assembly and asked APPCB what it was doing about the pollution caused by the electroplating industries in Hyderabad. Most of them are small units and scattered all over the place. Officials disclosed that out of 71 units, 10 have declared a permanent shutdown while 40 others have temporarily ceased operations. The rest have guaranteed that they will start dumping the effluents at JETL in the next 15 days. “The rest of the industries have started taking their effluents to JETL where they are treated for removal of heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, nickel and poisonous cyanides lest they mix into the aquatic systems,” said an official speaking to this newspaper.

Officials say that periodic checks of Hussainsagar lake water showed a heavy presence of heavy metals. “We have given 75 per cent subsidy for bringing and treating the waste generated by these industries to JETL. But despite this, the units are not adhering to the directions,” rued the official. These units have been asked to shift beyond the Outer Ring Road where they can build a common treatment plant.

The dangerous pollutants contained in the effluent from these plants include substances used in electroplating, while solvents and air emissions contain volatile organic compounds.