S I T E   N O M I N A T I O N    

Bidar, Karnataka, India

 Site Description
 Human Exposure & Health Impact
 Site Progress


Site Description 

Location & Size of Site
Bidar is a drought-prone town of 172,000 in the northern part of Karnataka State. Heavily agricultural, in recent years several manufacturing centers have been established in the area – mostly focused on the pharmaceutical industry.

Contaminant Type, Source & Quantity
Primary sources of pollution from the pharmaceutical industry are untreated wastewater discharge, especially fermentation liquors, and air pollution from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), or organic compounds that evaporate readily into the air during manufacturing. Additional pollution sources include leaks from storage tanks and underground pipes. In general, the bulk drug manufacturing process, including the plants present in Bidar, has a low ratio of finished product to raw material and, resulting in a high volume of waste.

Organic waste includes:
• acetonitrile
• ethylene glycol
• methyl ethyl ketone
• N,N-dimethylformamide
• N-butyl alcohol
• polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• toluene
• dichloromethane
• methanol
• methyl isobutyl ketone
• naphthalene
• N-Hexane
• pyridine
• xylene

Inorganic waste includes:
• ammonia
• chlorine
• bromine
• iodine
• cyanide compounds
• hydrochloric acid
• nitrate compounds
• sulfuric acid
• arsenic compounds
• copper compounds
• hydrazine
• manganese compounds
• phosphoric acid

High saline content waste: several plants segregated their high salt content wastes for storage in solar evaporation basins that were unlined and allowed wastes and chlorides to seep into the groundwater and soil. Salinization of water and soil makes both unfit for human consumption and agriculture.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, Bidar’s groundwater has higher than acceptable levels of nitrate.

Transmission Pathways
Water: untreated wastewater discharge.
Air: from unchecked evaporation of organic compounds
Soil: leaks from storage tanks and underground pipes

Notes
Very little concrete information on this site. District was mostly agricultural. In past few years, the government has been pushing the bio-tech industry here.

Human Exposure & Health Impact 

Number of Potentially Affected People
172,000 residents

Health Impact of Pollutant
Wide range of possible health effects, depending on which toxins are present.

Site Progress 

April 2004: Site reviewed by the Technical Advisory Board. Blacksmith Institute will visit this site.