Telangana PCB issues show cause notice to Heritage Foods in Shamirpet over pollution

The Telangana Pollution Control Board (PCB) has recently issued a show-cause notice to Heritage Foods Limited in Jaggamgudem, Shamirpet, over multiple environmental violations. The dairy company was found to be discharging wastewater into a natural nala and causing air pollution in the locality.

Board officials recently inspected the dairy and milk processing facility and discovered that flexible pipelines had been laid into a natural nala located behind the industry. The inspection team observed odour and sludge deposits where these pipelines entered the nala, indicating active wastewater discharge.

The inspection also revealed that while the company's effluent treatment plant (ETP) was in operation, its anaerobic digesters were not functioning effectively. According to the notice, gas was not being generated from the digesters and the flare stacks were not lit, which violates the consent for operation (CFO) conditions.

Additionally, the PCB team observed spillages in the ETP area and found that Heritage Foods was storing boiler ash in the open, leading to air pollution. The industry had also failed to provide a proper pipeline network and install meters to record the usage of treated water for irrigation as mandated by the CFO.

Following these findings, the PCB Task Force Committee held a meeting with industry representatives last month. The committee directed the company to immediately stop using flexible or hose pipelines within the premises for transferring effluents or wastewater.

Heritage Foods was further instructed to prevent any discharge or spillage of effluent within or outside the premises and to repair all effluent-conveying pipelines. The company must regularly operate the ETP and use the treated wastewater for on-land irrigation within its own premises.

To ensure compliance, the PCB has ordered the installation of flow meters with a totaliser to measure actual water consumption along with the inlet and outlet flow of the ETP, and to maintain a log register of these readings.