Environment audit and remediation for industrial contamination - a case study of Hyderabad and its surrounding areas.

Abstract

India is in the grip of a severe water pollution crisis. A 2015 report from the Indian Government estimates that the number of contaminated waterways has more than doubled in the past five years and that half of the country's rivers are now polluted1. A variety of factors have contributed to this critical situation, notably the staggering quantities of untreated sewage generated in this country of nearly 1.3 billion people. Another major cause is industrial pollution, the dark side of India's economic development. In recent decades India's pharmaceutical industry has scaled new heights in step with a steady rise in population and thanks to its reputation as a lowcost manufacturing destination for multinational drug companies. In particular, its bulk drug production sector, which has a major hub in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and a more recent presence along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh, has experienced a rapid ascent since the 1970s. While this has yielded obvious economic benefits for both Indian and overseas-based firms, as well as dividends for shareholders, scant attention has been paid to the impact of increased pharmaceutical production on the environment and inhabitants living in proximity to factories and industrial parks