Hyderabad: The residents of Ammanabolu in Motakunduru mandal of Nalgonda district, about 100 km from the city, uncovered over 72 drums containing 13 tonnes of pharmaceutical waste that had been dumped at a secluded spot. When the drums were discovered, officials of the local Pollution Control Board (PCB) were immediately alerted. The waste was transported to Hyderabad for tests and treatment.
While the tests are underway, officials said that the waste is likely to be highly hazardous. Mr P. Jawaharlal, an environment engineer with the PCB, said, “There was a slight leakage from the drums, so we cleared up the soil in that area as well.” Tahsildar Krishna Murthy is not sure when the drums were left there.
“Some farmers found the drums. Since nobody frequents this area we are not sure about when they were dumped or who was responsible,” he says. An FIR has been filed against unidentified persons as the drums had no signage or stickers. Officials speculate that they may have come from a pharma company located 10 km away. Only last month, a tanker was caught illegally dumping untreated effluents near Nalgonda. In mid-July, 11 tonnes of medical waste was found to have been dumped in a deserted part of Quthubullapur.
