Another Good Reason why Kashmir Needs to Enact Environmental Protection Laws

Dairy plant spells doom to Cheshmashahi's ecology

Ishfaq Mir

Srinagar: Establishment of dairy plant at Cheshmashahi may have boosted the milk production in the Valley but the ecology of the area is severely getting damaged, sources said.

The renovation of the dairy plant at the picturesque location of Cheshmashahi by the then Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Syed resulted in the commercialization of production of milk in the Valley but at the same time the environment of this famous tourist resort has come under serious ecological threat.

The location of this industrial unit in an ecologically sensitive area, the effluents and the residues that come from the processing technology each milk drop undergoes before it reaches the market has damaged the ecology of the area.

"We wonder how the government permitted the setting up of a dairy plant in this place which in no way is meant for any industrial activity. Nobody is monitoring the effects of this plant on the environment of the area. Had it been a private one, the owner would have been sacked," said the locals of Cheshmashahi.

The Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) is outdated, which allows the effluents (solid waste) to escape easily. Sources said that the residues are dumped into the inner forest areas of Cheshmashahi. "The residues of the milk production plants are extremely poisonous for the plants as well as animals. A small amount of the residue can destroy the ecology of 100 hectare green forest area within a week," said Mass Media Officer, Directorate of Ecology and Remote Sensing, Gurcharan Singh.

While State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) categorises the milk production plants into the 'red' category, the plant lacks the modern electric boilers which is much hazardous, experts say. "There is a categorization, according to which the different industrial set ups are put into three categories, red, yellow and orange. The milk plants are placed into the red zone. But it is not to be confused that it is dangerous enough. It is because a milk producing plant is sensitive enough in terms of the sewage it produces as it deals with food for humans," said SPCB Chairman, Mian Javed.

"Wood is used to run the boilers of the milk plant. This is harmful in two ways. One is that it causes air pollution and the second is that the boilers are not efficient enough to make the residues harm free for the environment," an official of the milk plant said pleading anonymity. While the proposed 60,000 LPD dairy plant never saw the light of the day, the plant at Cheshmashahi processes 9,000 litres of milk daily and is being marketed under the brand name 'Snow Cap' by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). The milk is being obtained from Anantnag, Budgam, Pulwama and Srinagar districts.