Crackdown on illicit liquor: 23,000 liters of lahan seized near Sutlej
Don’t destroy recovered ‘lahan’ in river, make hand sanitizers to save aquatic life too: Dr. Rajiv Arora
Ferozepur, December 2, 2020: ‘Lahan’ kills humans, can kill aquatic life too. It is better to use it for making sanitizer instead of releasing the recovered ‘lahan’ in the river water to avoid environmental impact on water.
In another crackdown on illicit liquor manufacturers, the police and excise teams headed by SI Jagjit Singh and Harinder Singh Excise Inspector, in a raid, on a tip-off, recovered 23,000 liters of 'laha' – raw material used to prepare illicit liquor or kachhi daaru – from a village Habib Ke, on the banks of river Sutlej on Monday. The recovered ‘lahan’ was destroyed in the river on the spot to avoid its misuse. Meanwhile, a case under Sections 61, 1, 14 of the Excise Act at Sadar Police Station, has been registered and further investigations are on.
Chemical Engineer, SBS State Technical Campus Dr. Rajiv Arora said, the ‘lahan’ has killed more than 100 persons in Amritsar and Tarn Taran recently. When it can kill humans, it can also kill aquatic life too. But the authorities don’t think so. Punjab Pollution Control Board must take note of it and formulate certain rules for its proper disposal.
He said, the disposal of lahan in the river not only leads to pollution but also leads to high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), posing threat to life in water. The greater the BOD, the more rapidly dissolved oxygen depletes in the water
There are different opinions about the ‘lahan’ and its disposal as to whether it is toxic or a simple mixture of water and jaggery. There are also no proper rules on how 'lahan' should be destroyed and hence officials dump it in water, which otherwise is wrong and should stop immediately.
On the other hand, the excise official said, methanol, ethanol and other by-products are formed only after distillation. It is not harmful to aquatic life and doesn’t lead to water pollution. When raids are conducted near the river banks, it is not easy to carry or transport such huge quantities of 'lahan' so we destroy it there itself by throwing it in the river. These poisonous chemicals can also produce if the fermentation is not done in a scientific manner.
As per the information, there are no specific rules have been framed for disposal of any intoxicant deemed to be unfit for use and are being disposed of in routine in the river.
Dr Rajiv Arora said, the best way to utilize this illicit liquor is to convert this into hand sanitizers by proper distillation. This will not only save the aquatic life, but also generate a huge quantity of sanitizers which is the need in this Covid-19 pandemic.