Dairy owners at the Haibowal Dairy Complex have threatened to stage a protest outside the offices of the municipal corporation and deputy commissioner if the problem of wastewater logging and jammed drains in the complex is not resolved by Sunday.
The warning comes nearly a week after MC officials had assured dairy owners that the issue would be addressed. Members of the dairy owners’ association, however, alleged that no improvement has been witnessed on the ground so far.
Kuldeep Singh Lahoria, head of the Haibowal Dairy Owners’ Association, said wastewater continues to accumulate in parts of the complex, particularly in lane number 3, leading to unhygienic conditions. He alleged that overflowing drains at times force wastewater into dairy units and nearby houses.
“If the issue is not resolved by Sunday, we will dump cow dung outside the MC office in Sarabha Nagar and the DC office on Monday.
We will also take cattle there in protest,” Lahoria said. The dairy owners blamed inadequate waste-processing infrastructure for the recurring problem.
According to association members, the dairy complex houses 883 dairy units and nearly 42,000 cattle, generating around 400 metric tonnes of cow dung daily. MC officials attributed the problem to improper disposal of cow dung into drains by dairy owners.
{{/usCountry}}According to association members, the dairy complex houses 883 dairy units and nearly 42,000 cattle, generating around 400 metric tonnes of cow dung daily. MC officials attributed the problem to improper disposal of cow dung into drains by dairy owners.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said only around 200 metric tonnes of cow dung can currently be processed at the existing biogas plant, while another plant is under construction to bridge the gap.
Officials further stated that arrangements have been made for collection of cow dung from individual dairy units, but claimed that many dairy owners continue to wash waste into drains, resulting in choking and overflow of wastewater onto streets.
The officials added that only around 40 metric tonnes of cow dung is presently being collected daily, while the remaining waste either enters the drainage system or is dumped elsewhere.
They also acknowledged that the effluent treatment plant at the complex lacks the capacity to handle waste generated by all dairy units, particularly during excessive water usage. MC commissioner Neeru Katyal Gupta did not respond to calls or text messages seeking a comment.