In Balabhadrapuram, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, cancer cases—potentially linked to unchecked industrial pollution—are rising at an alarming rate. Two Chlor-Alkali Plant expansion projects, undertaken by Grasim Industries Ltd (Balabhadrapuram, AP) and TGV SRAAC Ltd (Gondiparla, near Kurnool, AP), for production of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and Carbon Tetrachloride (CTC) are proceeding with questionable environmental clearances, raising concerns about public health and regulatory failures. https://countercurrents.org/2025/05/andhra-pradeshs-cancer-crisis-industrial-pollution-and-regulatory-failures-beyond-global-treaties/
Despite global bans on Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a toxic chemical historically used in PTFE production, and India’s claim of phasing out Carbon Tetrachloride (CTC), these substances continue to pose serious risks to people. The loopholes and weak enforcement of the Stockholm Convention and Montreal Protocol are being blatantly exposed.
For context, the Stockholm Convention is a global treaty obligating signatory governments to eliminate or reduce the release of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like PFOA into the environment. The Montreal Protocol, aimed at protecting the ozone layer, mandates signatories, including India, to phase out and eventually eliminate substances like CTC.
Despite known hazards, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) granted Environment Clearance (EC) to Grasim for Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) based PTFE production and EC as well as Terms of Reference (ToR) to TGV SRAAC even without explicit disclosure of chemicals used in PTFE production, thus failing to account for crucial details.
06/05/2025
