BELOGIVAVA: Residents of Kagwad Taluk were very angry at Patil Mla Shrimant because of the sugar factory owned by the legislator allegedly polluting the water body in the region, affecting the quality of drinking water.
KUUGUDDA residents, Siddewadi, Kempawad and other villages have brought Brunt because Athani Sugars Limited allegedly releases certain chemical waste into the body of the water, according to the villagers.
They also accused that contaminated water also affects plants and that they are now forced to pick up drinking water from distant places.
Patil is the Chair and Managing Director of Athani Sugars Limited.
Even though the villagers approached the factory administration, they denied the mistake, said that they released a little garbage into the river.
However, villagers claim that waste flows into lakes and farm fields during the rainy season.
Residents also filed complaints with pollution control boards.
“Black thick liquid was released to the nearby lake because open wells were also contaminated.
The factory has done this from the last ten years and now the level of pollution cannot be tolerated.
We see black fluids in our fields now,” said Farmer Ramesh Wagmore.
Speaking to Toi, Shrisehail T, a farmer from Kagwad said the waters of the well open and the tube well smelled of chemical waste and it could not be taken again.
“District administration must immediately intervene and solve this problem,” Official Polutionary Control Board Jagadish H said the department had collected waste samples and sent it for testing after conducting surveys as directed by Tahsildar.
“There seems to be a problem in these villages and will soon be intended,” he assured.
Denies the allegations flattened by the villagers, Patil said the plant is equipped with an EFLUEN processing plant with a cost of Rs 45 Crore.
“As long as it rains, a number of chemical waste may have flown to farmland, but do not have the potential to damage plants,” he said.
He called the protest efforts to defile him and the factory.