Abattoir waste emitting inflammable gas

An inflammable gas emanates from the year-old waste remaining in the two tanks in the City Corporation's abattoir after some of it was let out into the Ashtamudi Lake on Sunday. The escaping gas had pushed out slurry from the tanks on Saturday. People were hospitalised on Sunday after taking ill on inhaling the stench from the waste fin the lake. The odour lingered on Monday.prevails in the area, a residential colony. The residents alleged that the Corporation authorities were passive in finding a solution. The authorities said the situation was serious and went into an emergency session.The State Human Rights Commission registered a case for pollution caused by the abattoir on a complaint lodged by the Paristhiti Samrakshana Ekopana Samithi.The abattoir contractor told the Corporation authorities that he pumped out the waste into the lake because the gas formation could have led to an explosion.The authorities said he failed to treat and convert the waste in the biogas plant. The possibility of converting the gas into electricity was now being explored.George D. Kattil, Leader of the Opposition in the Corporation, alleged apathy by the Corporation. Several lakhs of rupees were spent on the biogas plant; despite this, the whole area was polluted.Mr. Kattil wanted Prasanna Earnest, Chairperson of the Health standing committee of the Corporation, to own moral responsibility and resign. He called for action under the law against the contractor and the officials responsible for the situation.S. Varghese, Member of the Human Rights Commission, directed the Corporation Secretary and Member-Secretary of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to appear before its next sitting. An urgent report was sought from the Secretary of the Local Self-Government Department.He told The Hindu that the pollution of the lake in this manner was a serious human rights violation. The Corporation appeared to have been consistently averse to human safety and environmental protection. Very often, it was noticed that the Corporation wanted to take decisions and implement them with some sort of vengeance even if that was harmful to the people and the environment.Odanavattom Vijayaprakash, general convener of the samithi, who lodged the complaint, said the abattoir did not follow the rules. He requested the commission to register cases against the Corporation.

The Hindu, 11^th November 2008