CHENNAI: Until three months back, the slaughterhouse on New Avadi Road in Villivakkam was just an open shack. The cattle were slaughtered in a roofless shed, the meat cut on the ground and blood and other remains washed down into the drain.

In short, the state of the facility was a good reason not to eat meat.

But the civic agency has now modernised the slaughterhouse at a cost of Rs. 26 lakh. A new building has come up where the old shed stood. The entire cycle in the modernised facility has been put up keeping hygiene the centre of attention: the animals would be slaughtered in mini-chambers. An official said this was to prevent other animals from watching the slaughter as it would increase their stress levels. The meat from the chambers would be transferred around the facility on a semi-mechanical conveyer chain and butchers along the conveyer chain would cut the meat and transfer it to plastic tubs. Adequate water supply has been provided to the butchers to clean the meat and their knives. Blood and other wastage would be transmitted to an effluent treatment plant, and water and compost from effluent treatment would be used for a garden.

Modernisation drive

Chennai Corporation maintains three slaughterhouses in the city; the others situated at Perambur and Saidapet. All three facilities have suffered from neglect over the years. Senior officials hope that the experience of modernisation at Villivakkam will help in the modernisation of the other facilities also.

The 4,000-sq ft slaughterhouse in Villivakkam is one of the civic agency's smaller slaughterhouses and it was taken up as it would be easier to modernise and study the results. Corporation officials designed the modern abattoir based on field visits to modern slaughterhouses in other States and after discussions with the butchers.

Slaughter of cattle outside of Corporation abattoirs is illegal but officials seldom enforce the law. Some Corporation officials said it was difficult until now because their facilities were even filthier than the roads.

The modern facility offers a much safer and cleaner atmosphere. The challenge now will be to get the local butchers trained. An executive engineer of Villivakkam Zone (4) said, "We have planned a 10-day training session for the butchers to make use of the facility in the best possible way. Also it becomes important because they have to help in maintaining the cleanliness here."

The effluent treatment plant for the abattoir is a key component that will ensure that the slaughterhouse does not pollute the environment. A multi-stage system that uses a combination of aerobic filter, anaerobic filter, activated sludge filter and a fluidised-bed bioreactor is used to treat the effluent. The system is designed and operated by a private operator Enviro Technologies Incorporated, which earlier designed effluent treatment plants for factories and multi-storeyed complexes. Water and compost from the system will be used for the maintenance of a garden.

The Corporation acquired the land for the garden from Metrowater and it will face New Avadi Road, where a new entrance has been created for the modernised abattoir.

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