2 distilleries get show-cause notice over pollution norms violation

Indore: The regional office of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) has issued show-cause notices to two distilleries in Indore district for allegedly violating pollution norms by failing to operate dryers required to convert wet waste into distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), officials said.

The action followed inspections in which the units were found not using dryers and not processing wet waste into DDGS, a commercially valuable cattle and poultry feed ingredient sold to industries.

“During inspections, the distilleries were found not using dryers and were not converting wet waste into DDGS as mandated under the norms. Show-cause notices were served to the units for the violations,” said the board Indore regional officer Satish Kumar Chouksey.

Officials said grain-based and molasses-based distilleries are required to comply with mandatory zero liquid discharge (ZLD) norms laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state pollution boards.

Pollution authorities said failure to dry and process wet waste often leads to its storage in open which can potentially result in groundwater contamination and air pollution, violating prescribed environmental norms.