A few years ago, the groundwater in the villages of Humnabad taluk in Bidar district of north Karnataka was of such fine quality that people transported water from these villages to Kalaburagi, around 60 km away, in tankers. Now, they go to Humnabad town to buy potable water, as the groundwater in their villages is contaminated with chemicals released by the factories in Humnabad Industrial Area.
Large tracts of fertile agricultural land in Gadawanti, Basanthpur, Molkera, Maniknagar, Kallur, Dhumansur, Kathalli villages are gradually turning barren owing to groundwater contamination. Hazardous chemical waste is released into local streams, which join the Karanja river, allege villagers.
All the open wells in agricultural fields, which are meant for irrigation, on both sides of the stream, are filled with chemically contaminated water. Farmers have observed a significant fall in the quality of agricultural yield.
“We want to sell our land and our houses, and go to some other place. But, we don’t get any buyers because of the heavy pollution in the area,” Shivakumar Patil, a farmer from Gadawanti, told The Hindu.
A couple of years ago, villagers destroyed two check dams near Maniknagar to released chemically contaminated water into the stream. The check dams are yet to be repaired or rebuilt, to avoid the storage of chemically contaminated water.
Hard to breathe for people near Humnabad Industrial Area
The air pollution in the area is so high that residents of these villages and those living in the residential layouts around the industrial area say the stench is unbearable, especially at night.
Indumathi, a homemaker at Muneeshwar Bagh, which is adjacent to the industrial area, said, “We built this house seven years ago with our lifetime savings. Now, we are struggling even to breathe. Pollution has increased phenomenally in the last couple of years, as many chemical factories came up one after the other.”
Uncontrolled water and air pollution are causing serious short-term and long-term health problems among residents of over 10 villages, and in Humnabad town.
According to Shivakumar Siddeshwar, Taluk Health Officer, hospitals and primary health centres in and around Humnabad are seeing a rise in the number of patients with multiple health problems caused by air, water and soil pollution. In his letter to Humnabad Tahsildar written two months ago, he pointed out how pollutants released by factories were resulting in multiple ailments, some very serious in nature, among the residents of Humnabad and surrounding villages, especially in Gadawanti, Maniknagar and Molkera.
The Humnabad Industrial Area is part of Maniknagar gram panchayat. As per the authorities at Maniknagar gram panchayat, 163 plots were allocated in the industrial area, of which operations are underway in around 50. Most factories are in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, or are engaged plastic and rubber recycling operations.. The units have not put in place any pollution control mechanisms, like common effluent treatment plants (CETPs).
“Pollution grew on a massive scale after many chemical factories relocated from Hyderabad, due to stringent chemical pollution norms in the capital of Telangana. These factories release chemical waste into local streams, and also hazardous gas. These factories don’t even pay taxes to the gram panchayat. Of over 50 factories, only 10 are paying taxes after repeated follow-up. The annual tax collection of around ₹6 lakh from the factories is nothing compared to the extent of irreversible damage these factories are causing,” Nizamuddin, a member of Maniknagar Gram Panchayat, told The Hindu.
No response to protests by villagers
The villagers have consistently protested against the pollution. There have been occasional visits by authorities of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Forest Department, Police Department, apart from people’s representatives. However, hardly anything has changed.
Manjappa, Environment Officer of KSPCB, Kalaburagi, who has additional charge of Bidar, said, “An expert committee was formed to look into the pollution in Humnabad. It has submitted its report, with its observations and recommendations, to the KSPCB head office, which will take a decision.”
