HYDERABAD: Heavy metals are poisoning the soil and groundwater in several areas of the city but there is no effort by the government to find out which areas are the most affected, the possible sources of contamination and remedial measures. A recently published study by scientists from the National Geophysical Research Institute(NGRI), Hyderabad, has found high levels of heavy metals like arsenic, cobalt, chromium, nickel, zinc, cadmium, copper and lead in the soil samples collected from Kukatpally.
Arsenic and cadmium were found to be at very high levels in the soil. As per the US Environment Protection Agency standards, arsenic and cadmium in soil should be at 0.11 and 0.48 milligrams/ kilogram (mg/kg) respectively but it was found to be 14.7 and 0.7 in the Kukatpally soil.
Heavy metals percolate from soil into the ground and, over a period of time, into the ground water. Not surprisingly, heavy metals were detected in groundwater samples from Kukatpally and it was found that the levels of cadmium, copper and zinc in groundwater were exceeding the standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards for drinking water.
The Kukatpally industrial area, as per the list of industries under consent management of Telangana State Pollution Control Board, has 23 industries which fall under highly-polluting red and orange categories of industry. Some of the industries include metal casting, engineering, bulk drugs, dyeing, chemical, polymer and solvent extraction.