HYDERABAD: Gaushalas and dairy farms in the vicinity of human habitations (and certain other locations) under both city and village limits would soon have to be relocated, as per the new guidelines drafted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). They would also have to obtain consent for establishment and operation from the PCB, without which they would not be permitted to run. Dairy farms and gaushalas fall under the ‘orange’ category of polluting units, according to a 2016 circular by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Telangana has 32,044 dairy farms with 3.23 lakh cows and buffaloes, in addition to 150 gaushalas with 20,168 cattle. Some of them are located in Hyderabad and approximately generate 25,600 tonnes of dung per day, according to a report produced by the CPCB in the NGT. The CPCB had to draft ‘Guidelines for the Environmental Management of Dairy farms and Gaushalas’ following directions by the tribunal. The NGT had directed the CPCB to publish these guidelines in a month and submit compliance reports from the states, two months thereafter.
According to the guidelines, dairy farms and gaushalas should be located outside city/village boundaries, away from residential dwellings, hospitals, schools; should not be located in areas with shallow groundwater depth of about 10-12 feet to avoid contamination; must not be close to drinking water bodies/catchment areas. The sheer amount of dung and urine produced in these areas and its improper management is toxic for the environment.
According to the CPCB, many a time, the waste from gaushalas and dairy farms gets mixed with nearby stormwater drains, clogs them and turns them into breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This waste also releases a lot of gases, such as ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and methane, causing odour nuisance. Also, the waste accumulating in these drains ultimately reaches rivers and other water bodies
Furthering pollution
Dairy farms and gaushalas fall under the ‘orange’ category of polluting units, according to a 2016 circular by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The waste from gaushalas and dairy farms often gets mixed with stormwater drains, clogs them and turns them into breeding grounds for mosquitoes