VISAKHAPATNAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has demanded official action against the Hetero Drugs pharmaceutical unit near Rajayyapeta in Nakkapalli mandal of Visakhapatnam district.
The pharmaceutical company allegedly laid a three-foot wide pipeline without any clearances. The pipeline is intended to carry effluents from the plant to be dumped in the sea, the HRF said.
“Hetero Drugs laid the pipeline for a distance of about 4 km before the local fishermen noticed it 12 days ago and staged a protest which led to the stopping of the work,” HRF representatives K Anuradha, Jaha Aara and VS Krishna said.
In a statement here on Sunday, they added Narsipatnam RDO, who visited the area subsequently, reportedly said the pipeline laying is improper and that no clearance was obtained for the same.
They said the toxins being let out have had a deleterious effect on human health and marine ecosystems. Apart from being dumped into the sea, the bio-accumulative and toxic wastes generated by the plant have found their way into the surface and groundwater sources, the HRF alleged.
Over the years, these toxic pharmaceutical chemicals have taken a toll on human health, animal life and vegetation in the area. “This is the reason why the local fisherfolks do not want more pipelines to carry and dump poison into the environment,” they said.
They said the locals pointed out to them the serious health effects they have to live with ever since the company began production. “Dizziness, difficulty in breathing, rapid heart rate, anaemia, headaches and tremors are common among the people there,” they claimed.