Uranium mining polluting groundwater in Kadapa villages, scientists warn Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: A group of retired scientists from top research institutions in the country along with environmentalists from AP, Telangana and Odisha have cautioned the AP Pollution Control Board about contamination of groundwater in several villages around the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) in Kadapa.

Scientists found fault with APPCB in a strongly worded letter written to its member secretary and IAS official Vivek Yadav. They said three villages — Mabbuchintalapalli, KK Kotala and Kanumalavaripalli of Vemula Mandal — in Kadapa were the worst hit.

“They use thousands of tonnes of sodium carbonate . They have violated conditions of environmental clearance. The villages around the pond where the chemical sludge is seeping into the groundwater has been affected,” said K Babu Rao, a retired senior scientist from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.

“From crop failure to contamination of groundwater, everything bad is there. Apart from sodium salt contamination, we are also suspecting uranium in dissolved condition contamination. Usually, near uranium mines, the pond radiation emits radon gas, which is carcinogens and causes lung cancer ,” he added.

The top scientist said the ministry of forest and environment, in its inspection report in 2017, had identified nine violations by UCIL. “We asked for action taken report in August 2019, but we have received a reply that they have no information,” he added.

“APPCB has remained a mute spectator all these years. It has not even dared to identify the source of contamination and conclusively determine the violations by UCIL,” the scientists said in their letter.

“APPCB appears to have forgotten that its primary responsibility is to protect the environment and the people and not shield the polluters,” the letter said.

Recently, the district collector and local MP YS Avinash Reddy had held two meetings with the company and affected people.

“Is the issue merely limited to paying compensation for loss of agriculture? Will the contamination continue without any measures to check and stop it? Now the contamination has spread to mainly three villages, but soon it will spread to a larger area, causing permanent poisoning of groundwater,” the letter said.

Dr K Venkat Reddy, Dr A V Rao, Dr M Bapuji, Dr C R Panda, Dr J M Mohanty, Dr A Srinivasa Rao and OU professor Adinayarana were the signatories.

UCIL has been saying that Bhabha Atomic Research Centre collected the samples of groundwater and tested and found no anomalies. UCIL officials claimed that tailing ponds are constructed and maintained on par with internationals standards. They claimed that higher levels of salinity and total dissolved solids in groundwater samples from the area are not related to uranium mining operations.