Hyderabad: Salmonella infection is one of the biggest risks facing those who eat fish fed with chicken waste, doctors said. Symptoms like diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps are the first signs of infection.
The Task Force (west zone) of the Hyderabad police seized 8,000 kg of chicken waste from Langer Houz on January 14 which was being transported to fisheries in Bhimavaram.
Thirty-five year old Syed Abbas and 26-year-old Syed Imran were transporting the chicken waste in a van and were caught at the National Weigh Bridge by the police.
DCP B. Limba Reddy said, “They collect chicken waste from small shops and supply it to private fisheries in Bhimavaram. They have been handed over to the GHMC veterinary department for action.”
Police said the two supplied the waste regularly to fish farms in Andhra Pradesh. “The two have been in this business since the last five years and they supply it to cattle and pig farms too on the city's outskirts.”
A dairy farm owner in the Old City said, "Chicken waste is a good source of protein for animals. Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive feed this waste comes in handy for farm owners who are struggling to control costs.
They mix water in the chicken waste and give it to animals which makes it easy for them to eat.”
Dr Venu Gopal Pareekh, senior surgeon said, “Salmonella is found in most chicken products including eggs, meat and chicken droppings. It accumulates in the fish. When humans consume it the bacteria enters the digestive system and causes diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps. These symptoms develop 12 to 72 hours after infection and the illness can last four to seven days. The diarrhoea causes dehydration and treatment has to be aggressive or it can cause complications.”
GHMC’s vet and sanitation wings blame each other
Hyderabad: The GHMC’s veterinary department is pointing fingers at the sanitation department for lapses in waste collection which enables chicken waste to be transported out of the city.
Chief veterinarian Dr P. Venkateshwara Reddy, “The chicken waste has to be properly processed and only then can it be supplied to fish farms. But this is being carried out without our knowledge. These people are posing as waste collectors and taking away the waste from poultry shops.”
The collection has to be done by vendors who can process the material but that is not being done. Hence, sanitation workers collect the waste and dump it separately.
With the police now handing over the two accused to the veterinary department officers are trying to find out where the waste collectors are erring.
According to sources, one kg of chicken waste was being sold to farm owners for Rs 50 a kg. Hence the cost of the waste seized by the police comes to Rs 4 lakh.
