Utterly butterly waste to blame

She says the smell stopped for a year, but then it has been so off and on for all these years. “It gets worse in winters”.

The colony has filed several complaints with Amul chairman Ramesh Patel and managing director Kailash Vyas but to no avail.

The smell troubles not only colonies adjacent to the dairy, but also the ones on the stretch from Ganesh Chowkdi to Tulsi Talkies. Shanker Gohil, a journalist, estimates that at least 10,000 people are affected.

Dairy technologist D.G. Shah, a former Amul employee, explained that dairy waste, which has high biological oxygen demand (BOD), would stink if it was not properly aerated. He said that it was essential to pump oxygen into the waste to allow this to happen.

Shah believes that if Amul runs the oxygen pumps it already has, the waste wouldn’t stink. Perhaps, he says, the dairy is saving on electricity bills.Amul general manager (operations) B.B. Patel told Express Newsline the waste stank only during power failure, when the pumps could not be operated. “GEB ka kya thikana hai (Who knows when the GEB supply will fail)”.

Even otherwise there is a waste-disposal problem, which causes the stink, he admits. Since 1993 Amul has had an agreement with Anand municipality for the latter to collect Amul’s waste 24 hours a day. But now the municipality collects waste only five hours a day. The rest of the time, Amul treats the waste at its own plant and releases it along its own lane at Hargud. Patel says the (BOD) of Amul’s treated waste is about 320 milligrams per litre, which is within specified parameters.

Municipal engineer Usmanbhai said the problem was due to a pumping station damaged last monsoon. The station now works at less than full capacity as the pump is under repair. He denies that the problem is several years old.

Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) sources reveal that they have a case against Amul under the Water Act. They said BOD should in fact be 100 milligrams per litre. Another expert says if treated the waste should not stink.

GPCB filed a case against Amul in 1987, which is still in the court of the first class judicial magistrate, Anand. GPCB public relations officer Naresh Thaker says he doen’t know the details of the case when contacted. He, however, says discussions are on with Amul to deal with the waste disposal problem, widespread in the Charotar area.

Patel, meanwhile, says Amul is now considering laying a pipeline to Cambay to dispose of its waste. The matter has been informally discussed with Minister for Narmada Development & Major Irrigation Projects Jay Narayan Vyas. Meanwhile, a signature campaign has been launched by residents of affected societies to draw the authorities’ attention to this problem. So far 1,000 signatures have been collected, says Anil Patel, who is leading the campaign.