Srinagar, September 26: Citing environmental issues brought on by improper disposal procedures for the green husk extracts produced by these machines, the Fisheries Department has ordered an immediate halt to the installation of automatic walnut peeling machines in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The Deputy Director of Fisheries for the Anantnag district issued a circular instructing all department circle in-charges to thoroughly verify all walnut peeling machine operators under their supervision. These operators have received letters instructing them to appear at the department’s office by Wednesday, September 27, in order to take any further required steps.
The choice was made in response to the finding that a sizable number of automated walnut peeling machines had been placed close to water sources across the area without adequate provisions for the disposal of green husk extracts. These extracts have chemicals in them that might be dangerous, and when they mix with water, they could pollute the area and destroy the aquatic life there.
The agency discovered that the operators had not secured the necessary No Objection Certificates (NoCs) from pertinent government ministries and had not followed proper disposal procedures for the green husk extracts.
The recent tragedy in Dalseer Wahdan, where around 20 lakh trout fish died as a result of water poisoning in a stream that was an essential supply for trout units, increased the seriousness of the problem. The poisoning came about as a result of the stream’s water being mixed with extracts from green walnut husks, with disastrous results for the local aquatic species.
