Celebrating World Water Day and the PSCI’s continued support for the Musi River Revitalisation Initiative

The Musi River flows through Hyderabad in Telangana State, southern India. It is fed by the world heritage Hussain Sagar Lake, known as the 'heart of the world'. 

Over many years, the pollution has affected the lake and the Musi River watershed, impacting local communities to the point they can no longer enjoy this stunning natural site. Thankfully, it is not irreversible. 

In response to this crisis, the State of Telangana has dedicated itself to a long-term initiative seeking to revitalise the area and restore the river to its original glory.

India is the world’s largest bulk drug manufacturer, with many of these suppliers based in the Hyderabad region. The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) represents most of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, many of whom have Hyderabad-based supply chains, and are therefore an important stakeholder in the Musi River watershed.

All members of the PSCI agree to the PSCI Principles which state, 'any waste, wastewater or emissions with the potential to adversely impact human or environmental health shall be appropriately managed, controlled and treated prior to release into the environment.' This also means that all members of the PSCI must adequately manage the release of pharmaceutical ingredients into the environment (PiE) and respect all local discharge limits within their supply chain.  

Since learning of the Musi River Revitalization Initiative in September 2019, the PSCI has engaged with the Telangana state government to discuss how PSCI members can support the project. In September 2020, the PSCI made a formal commitment of support, aiming to use its influence to engage with suppliers of PSCI members in Telangana to promote better wastewater practices and encourage positive change.  

The PSCI's goal is to ensure that every single supplier with a connection to a PSCI member will be visited, audited, or contacted directly to promote the best technologies for wastewater management.  

Since its initial commitment in 2020, the PSCI has had good success engaging with connected suppliers in Hyderabad to offer free resources and support, including access to webinars, conferences and tools, with the aim of improving their practices around wastewater treatment. For example, the PEC:PNEC calculator tool can determine whether a facility’s discharge of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) is above or beyond an acceptable limit.

The PSCI also held dedicated sessions on wastewater treatment technologies at its increasingly popular Supplier Conference in India. Their annual conferences for suppliers cover introductory and best practice sessions from leading experts on topics covered by the PSCI Principles such as Environment, Human Rights & Labor, and Ethics.  

The group says it is pleased with the work done so far but knows there is more to do. That’s why they plan to use their influence to ensure that all PSCI-connected suppliers provide information about their wastewater treatment practices, either during a member visit, by questionnaire or by providing a full audit on the PSCI’s audit sharing platform by March 2023. To enable this, the PSCI is offering audits free of charge to suppliers within the Musi River catchment area. Their shared audit program reduces the burden on companies and suppliers and ensures quality and consistency through use of their industry leading PSCI Audit Template.  

The PSCI hopes that with these actions the group will contribute to restoring the Musi River to its former health and make a positive impact on peoples’ lives in the area. 

-Vicki Stone-Bjarup, PSCI Chair and Senior Project Manager & Responsible Sourcing Programme Manager, Novo Nordisk