Hyderabad: The Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) issued a show cause notice to Indira Poultry Farm in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district for not adhering to the rules of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. It is expected that the State Pollution Control Board will issue more notices to other such units that are in contravention of environmental laws.
Based on a complaint by animal rights organization, TSPCB’s Nalgonda unit slapped a notice for pollution being caused by hens kept in battery cages. Ms Alokparna Sengupta, an environmental activist said, “There is no waste disposal mechanism in a battery cage facility with the cages fixed at a height; the manure is collected in the space below with no motivation to clear it regularly. Pests which are attracted to these unhygienic conditions make it difficult for those who reside on and in the vicinity of such ‘farms’. The impact on air, water and soil cannot be allowed to continue.”
The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), in its study of the environmental impact of poultry farms, found that the battery cage system of rearing is a cause of such concerns and a shift to cage-free, better ventilated systems can address these issues. As per NEERI’s 2017 Report, it also leads to the contamination to soil, water and air caused by battery cage facilities. Animal rights activists have long been seeking a ban on the use of battery cages.
