Wednesday, 20 April | Purnima Bisht | Dehradun
The Municipal Corporation of Haridwar (MCH) will soon become the first municipal body in Uttarakhand to start making dried logs from cow dung as an initiative to manage the large amount of dung generated daily in dairies. The corporation also aims to reduce the consumption of wooden logs for cremation and other rituals by promoting the usage of these cow dung logs among people.
The municipal commissioner of Haridwar Dayanand Saraswati told The Pioneer that improper disposal of cow dung by big dairies has always been a serious concern in the city as many dispose it in drains, blocking them and causing waterlogging during monsoon besides causing potential health risks and environmental concerns like methane emission. He said that considering this the corporation decided to work on the proper disposal of cow dung without severely affecting the environment. He said that he held a meeting recently with the team involved in making of cow dung logs, dairy owners and representatives of the management of various Ghats of the city to establish coordination among all before starting the project. Women of self-help-groups will also be involved in the project and gain employment opportunities. The municipal commissioner said that all preparations are almost done and the production of cow dung logs will commence from next month. “We are working on all aspects to make this project a success that has the potential to tackle several concerns related to cow dung disposal and reduce the usage of wooden logs. The price of one quintal cow dung logs would be about Rs 600 which is quite cheaper than wooden logs. The corporation aims that people start the use of such logs instead of the wooden logs near the Ghats for cremation,” said the commissioner. He said that the process of log making will start from May and the logs would be available for the public to buy in the same week. Saraswati said that no garbage or recyclable material will be mixed with the cow dung to make logs. The officials also said that the initiative will help the corporation to earn a monthly revenue of about Rs 10 lakh and that a plot will be allocated soon to start this venture.
