Atomic energy department's move to mine uranium triggers radioactive scare

HYDERABAD: Environmental activists warn that radionuclide pollution is likely to emerge as another major concern at Nagarjunasagar dam once proposed uranium mining begins at the Lambapur-Peddagattu region in the vicinity.

The latest proposal of the department of atomic energy (DAE) to take up exploration of a portion of Amrabad tiger reserve to discover uranium reserves has sparked fears of radioactive pollution. The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) plans to set up a uranium plant in the catchment of the reservoir. The proposal has been kept in abeyance following protests by locals and environmentalists. If DAE exploration results in discovery of more reserves, mining activity may last long. Several research studies over the last two decades have revealed the presence of uranium in the water samples collected from Nagarjunasagar dam and wells in Nalgonda district. The radionuclide content has varied from below detection level to several times more than the maximum permissible level of 30 micrograms per litre.Baseline surveys revealed that the dam



is contaminated by uranium but the level is about 50 times below the detection level.

"There may be no immediate problem from uranium contamination. It will get compounded when the actual mining activity begins. The present contamination is due to soil erosion and use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. We have seen how uranium mining has impacted water, air and soil quality in Tummalapalle in Kadapa district. But in case of LambapurPeddagattu the problem will be more severe as a large water body is located in the vicinity ," warned V Satyanarayana, an environmental activist.

Though civic authorities treat water before supplying to households for drinking, they hardly test the samples for radionuclide contamination.They also do not have the infrastructure or equipment to detect pollutants that are present at the nano-level like natural and synthetic estrogens. Authorities concentrate only on bacteriological, chemical and physical purity of water. Radiological and hormonal contamination does not form part of routine tests carried out.