Hyderabad: A proposed 60 kilo litres per day grain-based ethanol distillery by Suvira Bio Fuels Private Limited at Mominpet in Telangana’s Vikarabad district has triggered opposition from local residents and activists, who have raised concerns over pollution and water use, reports The Times of India.
According to the executive summary of the company’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, the project is planned on 10.33 acres in Mominpet village and mandal. The report details the plant’s production capacity, land requirement and the statutory approvals needed before construction, including a public hearing scheduled for December 30 at Mominpet.
The EIA executive summary states that the project received its Terms of Reference approval from the state-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority on February 23, 2025. It adds that the EIA and environmental management plan were prepared based on these terms and a baseline environmental study carried out between March and May 2025.
On workplace safety, the report says the company plans to put safety systems in place and strengthen them further once the unit is established. While accidents cannot be predicted, it notes that risk assessment measures and a disaster management plan have been prepared. The total investment for the project is estimated at around Rs 99.58 crore.
Local residents and activists, however, fear the plant will cause serious harm to the area’s environment and water resources.
Progressive Organisation of Women (POW) state secretary Y Geetha called for the proposed private ethanol plant to be cancelled, warning that it would severely affect daily life in the region. She said setting up such a unit would make it difficult for people to continue living in Mominpet and urged residents, social groups, political parties and environmental experts to attend the December 30 public hearing and oppose the project.
Geetha alleged that the ethanol factory would release harmful pollution and contaminate land, water and air. She said the release of hazardous gases and the use of dangerous chemicals would threaten groundwater, farming activities and public health.
Describing Mominpet as an area heavily dependent on agriculture, she said a polluting industry would damage farmlands and water sources. She also warned that gases such as formaldehyde and methanol could cause breathing problems and serious illnesses, including cancer.
Geetha further claimed that the factory would use several lakh litres of water each day, draining tanks and wells and leaving little water for irrigation. This, she said, would lead to crop losses and put the livelihoods of farmers and agricultural workers at risk.
