Pawan Kalyan orders notice against Andhra Paper Limited for pollution of Godavari river

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Environment and Forests K. Pawan Kalyan assesses the level of pollution in the Godavari River at a meeting in Amaravati. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Environment and Forests K. Pawan Kalyan has directed the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) to issue notices to Andhra Paper Limited (APL) and Rajamahendravaram Municipal Corporation (RMC) for failing to prevent pollution of the Godavari river upstream from Pushkar ghat in Rajamahendravaram town.

The directive came on June 8 after a scientific survey by the APPCB revealed alarming levels of water pollution.

On May 25, the APPCB authorities, led by Mr. Pawan Kalyan, took water samples from two places – the lagoon through which Andhra Paper Limited discharges its effluent and the Kotilingala Ghat, where untreated drainage water enters the river through the Nalla channel.

On June 8, Mr. Pawan Kalyan convened a high-level meeting with APPCB Chairman P. Krishnaiah, AP Pollution Control Board Secretary S. Saravanan, East Godavari District Collector Kirthi Chekuri and Rajamahendravaram Municipal Corporation Commissioner Rahul Meena.

Threat to aquatic species: Alarmed by the alarming level of water pollution in Godavari river, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, “The levels of coliform bacteria, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, phosphate, sulphide and biochemical oxygen in the water samples collected from Godavari river were above the permissible level. These pose a major threat to aquatic species and are not recommended for drinking.”

Blue Bay Syndrome: In an official statement, Mr. Pawan Kalyan further said, “The water sample taken from Andhra Paper Limited’s lagoon was found to have nitrate levels of 119.6 mg/litre against the normal level of 45 mg/litre. This level of nitrate could pose serious health risks, including causing blue baby syndrome, which is not even suitable for bathing children.”

Polluted water from Andhra Paper Limited lagoon and Kotligala Ghat flows down towards Pushkar Ghat, the main venue of Godavari Pushkarams-2027. Thousands of devotees are expected to take a holy dip at Kotilingala and Pushkar Ghats.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan directed APPCB officials to initiate action against their officials in Kakinada division for not monitoring water pollution levels. East Godavari District Collector Kirthi Chekuri has been directed to submit a detailed project report (DPR) to address water pollution.

Published – 09 Jun 2026 21:38 IST