UCIL row: PCB picks samples from farms in AP’s Kadapa

Hyderabad: Former scientists have slammed AP Pollution Control Board (PCB) of inaction for alleged pollution of agriculture fields in Thummalapalle, KK Kottala of Kadapa district by refuse from

Uranium

Corporation of India Limited (

UCIL

).

Meanwhile, PCB officials on Monday collected samples from the agriculture fields following complaints from farmers that their farms were flooded with uranium-contaminated water from the tailing pond of UCIL.

The PCB officials said they have sent the samples to the lab and awaiting results. Due to heavy rain, tailing ponds and decantation ponds got flooded and uranium plant water mixed with rain water flooded the nearby agriculture fields.

Dr K Babu Rao, former scientist of ICRISAT, said “We have been warning APPCB about the consequences of continuing inaction regarding UCIL pollution. A letter was written to Chairman, APPCB, in 2019 October where I specifically warned about likelihood of heavy rains (causing radioactive substance to spill over to farms).”

Reacting to the latest leakage from UCIL tailing pond, Babu Rao said “Groundwater pollution has been going on unchecked due to inability of APPCB to fix responsibility on UCIL. It is four years since groundwater contamination was detected. Even now, APPCB has not been able to identify the source of groundwater pollution that is so evident.”