Report by the UPPCB on the operation of cold storage units in Sadabad tehsil, Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, 06/02/2023
Action taken report by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board on the operation of 9 cold storages in tehsil Sadabad, Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. During the visit, one of the cold storage units was not in operational condition and found closed. The other 8 cold storage facilities were found in operational condition.
No waste potatoes were found dumped inside or outside the cold storages as well as no foul smell was also detected. Representatives of the cold storage units informed the visiting team that waste potatoes were sent to nearby gaushalas - however no record was given during the visit. All the 8 cold storage units had installed ammonia gas receiver tanks connected with pipeline and equipment. However, no safety measures or facilities like safety mask/ safety shoes/ safety helmet were found during the visit.
Only one cold storage unit had submitted a disaster management plan to the UPPCB and the rest of 7 cold storage units had not submitted an onside disaster management plan. No rainwater harvesting system was found in any of the units and no NOC of the groundwater authorities for the extraction of groundwater.
The UPPCB in its report had recommended that cold storages should not operate without a disaster management plan of ammonia gas leakage. For this purpose, 7 cold storages have been notified by the UPPCB to submit immediately a disaster management plan. Further, UPPCB recommended that during operation of cold storage, it should be ensured that no waste potatoes should be dumped in and around the cold storages or any open land. The cold storages should have tie up with nearby gaushalas for giving waste potatoes and a proper record has to be maintained.