Hyderabad: Pollution-hit take their fight online to rap erring industries

HYDERABAD: Residents affected with air pollution have started an online petition to State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), requesting that their problems be addressed. SHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of a TOI report on almost a third of the city residents experiencing a chemical smell.
While stating that they were glad that SHRC had taken up the case (SR No.4597 of 2020 Dt. 14.09.2020), the residents, especially those who were affected over the past month, said they had been being facing smell from ‘poisonous gasses’ for several years, causing health issues such as inability to breathe properly, nausea, headaches among other issues.
The petition was based on hundreds of complaints filed by residents of Bachupally, Nizampet, Hafeezpet, Ameenpur, Nallagandla, Miyapur, Madinaguda, Kukatpally and Gachibowli.
The petition says, “There are many small pharma/chemical process industries in the adjoining areas. These industries must treat waste gases in scrubbers meant for treatment and relapse the gases safe enough to be vented to atmosphere as per norms.”
Frustrated that ‘multiple fervent appeals’ to Pollution Control Board (PCB) for years have not resulted desired action, the residents have demanded stringent action against errant industrial bodies. The petition was put on change.org.
Srinivas K, resident Bachupally, said, “There is technology available to track odour which must be installed immediately and results published online at all industrial areas and densely populated areas.” He said there were online trackable odour monitoring stations that could be used to measure smell from gases such as hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide, ammonia, methyl mercaptan, methane and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs).