Mohali: Distillers dried grains kept in open troubles villagers

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Mohali, December 17

The pungent stench emanating from the Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) in the open has made lives difficult for the residents of villages Kheri Gujran and Samgauli. Wet DDGS on tarpaulin drying under the sun in open areas has become a common sight in the villages.

A Samgauli resident said, “The stench from the DDGS is unbearable. Some tenants have vacated paying guest accommodations as it is difficult to bear the putrid smell. Truckloads of wet DDGS from the nearby liquor distilleries are brought here and dried. Later, it is packed in polythene bags and sold to poultry farms, where it is used as a cheap source of protein to feed cattle.”

DDGS is a rich source of nutrients and energy when included in poultry diets in moderate quantities. The local poultry farmers said that when DDGS is obtained from distilleries, it contains about 20 per cent moisture, which needs to be reduced to 12–13 per cent to make it fit for consumption by cattle. The flip side of it is the strong stench that it has while it dries out.

Officials from the Pollution Control Board said since these villages are away from the official gaze, the locals are trying to earn “easy money.” Earlier, a similar situation arose in the Panchkula-Barwala area, where the administration stopped this practice after repeated complaints from residents.

Recent incident

Earlier, a similar situation arose in the Panchkula-Barwala area, where the administration stopped this practice after repeated complaints from residents.