Abattoirs Slaughterhouse Impacts EIA Report Dr. Subash Thanappan (Associate Professor Department Of Civil Engineering Ambo University Ethiopia)

Abattoirs / Slaughterhouse Impacts: EIA Report
Dr. Subash Thanappan*1
, Yirgaleem Olkeba2
, Olyad Bekele3
, Tibebu Adugna4
, Kasahun Workineh5
,
Dimshasha Diriba6
1-6
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia.
Corresponding Author Email ID: thanappansubash@gmail.com
Abstract
Abattoirs also known as slaughterhouses in the urban areas face various challenges
especially in their requirements of important infrastructure and services. They require services
in terms of roads, provision of water, provisions of treatment and disposal of waste water,
management of solid wastes through provision of landfills, and effective and wise use of the by-
products that are derived from the operations in the slaughterhouses. In the current state of the
world, slaughterhouses need to be modernized, and Urban and Regional Planning Standards
and requirements incorporated within their operations. They require being equipped with
Appropriate Technology to enable the proper management of the wastes that are produced
from their activities and subsequent planning of the environment. The wastes from the
slaughterhouses require to be minimized and the revenue that can be generated from them
maximized, since the wastes can be processed into valuable materials and commodities like
Ornaments and Fertilizers. The main challenge of the slaughterhouses rests with the impacts
on the environment, and also with the compatibility of the activities that takes place within
them and other land uses. The study aims to examine the challenges of Development of
Slaughterhouses in the Ambo town. The EIA study was conducted by a team through collection
of baseline information on the environmental status of the targeted study area by conducting
field survey and public consultations. The study specifically examines the planning
requirements of Development of slaughterhouses, the compliance to the requirements of
planning standards, the planning implications of challenges facing slaughterhouses, and finally
the planning options that can be adopted as redress to these challenges and problems. The
study has put into use secondary data obtained from books, journals, internet, government
reports and researches from studies that have been done concerning challenges of
slaughterhouses previously. The primary data has been gotten through physical and social
survey.
Keyword: Abattoirs, Cryptosporidium, Global Positioning System (GPS), Physiological
injuries
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Introduction
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) enables commercial projects to counteract or
make light of negative environmental impacts and provides an prospect to slot in positive
environmental enhancements into the project [8], [9], [10]. A slaughterhouse is a premise that
has been approved by the controlling authority for the hygienic slaughtering of animals and
processing of meat products for the safe consumption by the public [1]. The slaughterhouse
(Figure-1) that is also known as an abattoir is in the truest sense a building or a development
per se. Abattoirs are buildings which require development applications and approval in the
sense of permission to develop land. The Urban and Regional Planning discipline has within
its ambit the major focus on land and buildings. Abattoir development requires to be integrated
with various supporting factors [2]. The prime requirement involves the availability of
transport.
Figure-1 Slaughter House in the Study Area
This has the implication on the road network. The slaughter stock must be delivered to
the abattoir premise in good condition and efficiently which can only be achieved through
good transport. Second, it is pertinent that there is available space to accommodate the
delivered stock that awaits slaughter. Third, are the infrastructure facilities and services
provided for the efficient operation of the processes in the slaughter houses? This involves the
supply of water in amounts that are satisfactory to the achievements of objectives being
carried out. The water thus utilized is contaminated and has to be treated before being
discharged back to the environment. This can only be achieved through provision of waste
water treatment plants. This is through usage of septic tanks or through installation of
sufficient piped network that connects the waste water from the abattoir premises to the
sewerage treatment plant of the local authorities. Fourth is the provision of ways and means of
disposing the solid wastes that are the by-product of the activities that are being carried out
within the slaughterhouse premise. This can be done by the wise use and utilization of these
products with the effect of getting profits and provision of some space of land in the sense of a
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land fill too. The crux of the matter, in the efficient running of the operations of the abattoir
premises lies with the fact that the environment must be conserved. The slaughterhouses have
got the capacity to seriously annihilate the environment [3]. This they do if the wastes that
they produce are injected back to the sensitive environments untreated, and if they are in close
proximity to these environments and if also they produce odours and noise that interferes with
the adjacent land uses or the neighboring environments [4]. Land use planning is a deliberate
exercise aimed at directing the use and development of the scarce land resource in harmony
with the environment and other competing users. Among the goals and objectives of land use
planning are ameliorating the problems created by unplanned urban development’s and
minimizing land use conflicts by considering compatibility factors between users, alleviating
poverty through provision for location of investment facilities for creation of employment and
incomes, and proper planning ensures and enhances environment thereby reducing
environmentally related ills. In the Ethiopian economy the dominant sector is the agricultural
sector. The market for livestock supplies is increasingly expanding both locally and regionally.
Nearly all the cattle sourced at Guder and some of the cattle and goats purchased at Ginchi
market originate from west shewa regions of Ambo towns. A significant proportion of the
cattle in ambo market come from Wodessa Village.
Mapping of Ambo town Slaughter house
Mapping Slaughterhouses were geo referenced using a handheld Global Positioning
System (GPS) device (Garmin eTrex®). The locations of slaughterhouses (Figure-2) were
mapped using ArcGIS™ version 9.1. Base layers were provided by the ILRI geographical
information systems unit. In these case mapping of Ambo town slaughter house described as
below: Location of ambo town, latitude 8.983 north and longitude of 37.850 east.
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Figure-2 Targeted Study Area
Created Job Opportunity
The employment generation by the sector has not also proportionally increased with the number
of abattoir and the corresponding capacity (Table-1). The reason behind this is due to the fact that
the current capacity utilization of the existing functional abattoirs remains below 50 percent with
the average of 34 percent mainly due to import bans, competition between the enterprises for
limited supplies in limited supply shades; problems related to quality and inadequate throughputs.
Table 1 Current Job Opportunity by slaughter house
Job title Male Female Total
Transportation service 8 0 8
Slaughter operation 17 0 17
Total 25 0 25
Mass of waste disposed in Ambo town by slaughter house
The slaughter house in Ambo town produces a number of wastes (Figure-3) from cattle slattered. As
discusses about 120 cattle’s are used as source of meet, and during their process and oppression
slightly large amount of wastes are produced and disposed to the environment which need proper
waste treatment, however they use septic storage for liquid waste and some amount of solid waste is
left their near the water stream.
Ambo
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Figure-3 Waste water and Solid waste Generation from Slaughter House
Statement of problem
There are various challenges that face slaughterhouses in ambo town. The study’s first concern is on
the environment. Organic wastes such as these produced in slaughterhouses when injected into
rivers and waterways have serious consequences [4]. They increase bio-oxygen demands due to
proliferation of oxygen demanding organisms, in consequence oxygen levels go down and the water
mass becomes anorexic in other words at downstream the use of water as drinkable animal is
become less [4]. Abattoirs also pollute the air; they do this with foul smells and also produce airborne
pathogens as well as ammonia. Bad odor used to waft the air around market and water from the
slaughterhouses flowing with blood, used to drain into Odo Liban River. The composition of the soil is also
changed with organic matter such as cow dung. Methane and other green house gases such as nitrous oxide
are produced in the slaughterhouses which may be responsible for destroying the ozone layer and subsequent
entry of harmful ultraviolet rays.
Abattoirs need to be away from residential areas. Their size should be in direct relation to the number of
animals slaughtered. They should be in direct access for the animals i.e. the stock route; they should be sited
where flooding is impossible. Abattoirs should have an abundant water supply, adequate treatment facilities
and disposal. The site should also be sufficient to permit future expansion especially when in urban areas.
The slaughterhouses of Ambo town provide employment for a population of 100 with 70% of them being the
youth. This was of critical importance when the slaughterhouses were closed. The price of meat shot up by
10%. The meat sources became dubious. The aspects of location, the Site conditions, Space standards,
Environmental control, Management as well as accessibility fall under the planning spectrum,
therefore through proper planning these challenges can be addressed [6], [7].
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The goals and objectives
The study seeks to establish how development of slaughterhouses including hygienic and sanitary conditions
can be blended with the environment around slaughterhouses.
The Assessment Questions
What are the challenges facing the slaughterhouse in Ambo? What are the planning implications of the
challenges associated with slaughterhouses in Ambo town? What are the planning options that can be
adopted to address the problems facing slaughterhouses in Ambo town?
The Assessment Objectives
i) To investigate the challenges facing development of slaughterhouses.
ii) To find out the planning implications of challenges associated with Ambo slaughterhouses.
iii) To find out the planning options that can be adopted to address the problems facing slaughterhouses
in Ambo town.
Justification
There is need for the safe processing of meat products, which can only be achieved by development of
adequate slaughterhouses. This can be done by integrating planning and the development of the abattoirs.
There is a need to conserve the environment. The abattoirs produce products that can annihilate
environmental conduciveness. This hence means that the abattoirs should be well equipped with
infrastructure to support efficient means of disposing the wastes.
There is a large population that stands to benefit from the study. This begins with the consumer of meat
products from Ambo slaughterhouses. The owners of the butcheries in Ambo, the slaughterhouse owners and
the middlemen who operate in Ambo market dealing with meat products. The consumers stand to get healthy
and safe meat products; the butchery owners will get safe products and will safeguard their business. The
slaughterhouse owners will not have conflict with the environmental authority NEMA and they will retain
their source of income.
Definition of key Terms
A slaughterhouse- a slaughterhouse also known as an abattoir is a building that has been approved
by the controlling authority for the hygienic handling and processing of meat products.
Planning requirement: the necessities and obligations as stated by the planning authorities and
documents in pursuit of controlled development.
Development: the making of any material change in the use or density of any buildings or land or
the subdivision of any land.
Planning implications: the manifestations that result from the effects of planning in either the
presence of planning or absence of planning.
Environment: the immediate surrounds of a location, or a building.
Planning options: the available means or ways of planning effective in addressing problems and
challenges.
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Sampling procedure
The slaughterhouse in the study area was visited for about two days before data collection. The
purpose of this visit was to explain the project objectives and give the necessary information
regarding the assessment so that participants could give informed consent. The sampling and data
collection process was explained verbally.
Data sources
The Institutional and Policies data for the study will include the study of the planning requirements
for the abattoir development from the City council of Ambo town, the Environmental protection
office. There are 2 types of data that will be utilized in carrying out the study. These are in the form
of secondary data and primary data needs. For the Secondary data this is data that is obtained from
the existing literature concerning abattoirs. The secondary data needs entail the literature review on
the challenges and the objectives of the study. Data is obtainable both from the primary data sources
and the secondary data sources. Primary data sources are the sources of literature that have been
done by other scholars concerning and primarily on the study, this may include the thesis and
dissertations. The secondary sources of data are the literature material that deal with the study
concerns and in this case literature material on the abattoirs. For the primary data, this is the data
that is derived directly from the field. This will be obtained through field survey, as related to the
objectives of the study. It is obtainable from observation (empirical observation), interviews, focus
group discussion and questionnaires. This is data derived from the physical visit to the field.
Methods of Data Collection.
For the secondary data, the data will be obtainable from the identification, location and analysis of
the relevant documents with information related to the research problem which is with the
challenges facing slaughterhouses. The documents, both published and unpublished will be put to
review with the aim of getting an understanding of the challenges facing slaughterhouses. In this
context the sources of literature will include journals, newspapers and website sources. For the
primary data the data will be acquired through the use of questionnaires, empirical observation and
the use of photographs. The questionnaire design will be intended for a proper understanding of the
challenges and they will be in the formats of structured as well as unstructured. The data will also be
gotten from focus group discussion and also with the use of photographs.
Data analysis
The instruments which are the means of collecting the data for the study are the Questionnaires,
Photographs, measuring tapes. The questionnaires will be in two forms the structured or closed
ended and the unstructured or open ended questions e.g. structured for easy analysis and the
unstructured for aspects such as attitude towards the abattoirs.
The photographs will be arranged in terms of the study area i.e. the different slaughterhouses and
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will be taken purposely with reference to the research questions and objectives. They will facilitate
observations and further findings. But in this case we have one slaughter house.
Visual Findings
● It is easy for the consumer when get meat for consumption, but slighter house workers, the cost of
meat includes physical hardships of the slaughter house work itself. However, even less publicity
discussed or under stood is the psychological trauma inflicted on slaughter house workers. Not only
employee face serious physical health hazards, but also they view, on a daily basis, large scale
violence and death that most of the people live in town city. This note will discuss the physiological
harm caused by slaughter ho Impacts on Drinking Water When the Abattoirs waste disposed to
lagoon which seeps in to underground sources of drinking water that increase the amount of nitrate in
the ground water supply can reach unhealthy levels. The microorganism (cryptosporidium) found in
animal waste can pose public health threats. If the presence of this microorganism set beyond the
standard, the community will not only face health risks but also they have to find new sources for
their drinking water supplies.
● River and Stream Impact Blood, manure and undigested stomach content can severely harm river and
stream ecosystem [5]. These wastes contain ammonia which is highly toxic at low level. Increased
amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can cause algal blooms which block water
ways and deplete oxygen as they decompose. This air pollution can cause lung inflammation and
increase respiratory diseases. Emission of reactive organic and ammonia can play a role in the
formation of ozone (smog) and particulates. In addition to negative health impacts, ozone can reduce
agricultural yields and make plants more vulnerable to disease. Odorous and toxic gases such as
sulfur dioxide produced by decomposition of animal waste may also cause headaches, throat and eye
irritation after prolonged exposure. Methane emission from waste decomposition also contributes the
climate change and proposes workers compensation for physiological injuries.
● The manufacturing of animal products for human consumption (meat) or for other human needs
(leather), leads inevitably to the production of waste. Under traditional conditions, the quantities of
products processed in a certain area used to be small and by-products were better utilized. This
resulted in the production of smaller quantities of waste than at present. Nature is able to cope with
certain amounts of waste via a variety of natural cleaning mechanisms. However, if the concentration
of waste products increases, nature’s mechanisms become overburdened and pollution problems start
to occur. Usually, small-scale home processing activities produce relatively small amounts of waste
water. Nature can cope with these. Yet as a consequence of the increasing emphasis on large scale
production (e.g. reasons of efficiency, increase in scale of production and hygiene) considerably
greater amounts of waste will be produced and steps will have to be taken to keep this production at
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acceptable levels. Also, methods will have to be found or developed for more efficient use of by-
products and for improved treatment of waste products. Because large scale processes are not easy to
survey, the checking of waste production is a problematic undertaking and special efforts are needed
to find out where in the production process waste is produced. An example that illustrates the
relationship between the scale of production and the production of waste is that of the production.
● In the present study, major attention will be given to the impact on the environment.
i) In Slaughterhouses: the animals are reared, fattened and transported to the slaughterhouses. After
processing, the meat is stored before it is transported to retail outlets. The “preceding” activities
produce manure etc. while for storage and transport (follow activities) cooling facilities are needed.
This puts a heavy claim on energy sources.
ii) In tanneries: hides produced at slaughterhouses must be stored. To prevent spoilage, they should be
pickled and preservatives should be added. The methods used to process hides will to some extent
determine the durability of the produced leather. The production of more durable leather leads to
smaller quantities of leather waste). Wastes from meat processing operations tend to be worrisome
due to their high content of putresible organic matter, which can lead to the depletion of oxygen and
cause water supply impairment. The meat processing wastes come from stockyards, abattoirs and
packing plants, etc. all these contain blood, fats, protein, gut contents, heavy metals, antibodies,
hormones and other substances . In Ambo, abattoir dispose of the waste currently floating into stream
. Slaughterhouse waste did not meet established standards for food processing industries, posed a
potential health hazard to the public. This study is aimed at identifying the negative impact of abattoir
waste on the receiving water bodies of Hulluqa River and also provides information on the water
pollutants, since the river is for cattle drinking purpose and pretended for recreation. The abattoir is
situated along the Hulluqa river road by the market. It is located at the bank of elevated concretes lab,
which serves as a slaughtering surface. A certain amount of animals such as cows, goats and pigs are
slaughtered daily. Here abattoir, an estimate of 100 – 120 cattle is slaughtered on weekdays. The
cattles are killed manually by falling the cattle with strong thick ropes and killed with sharp deep knife
cut through the neck, releasing blood and led to the complete death of the animals include blood, flesh
particles, soluble protein, urine, feces and other organic materials. There are small drainage channels
around the slab that is connected to a large channel through which the animal waste is being discharge
into which the animal waste is being discharged into the water body. Water traps are mounted around
the slab area used to supply the water in preparing the slaughtered animal in washing the slab after the
slaughtering of the animals.
iii) Abattoir waste emitted into the river environment from anthropogenic sources pose a threat to the
functioning of aquatic ecosystems and to use of water for various purposes. The need for strengthened
measures to prevent and to control the release of these substances into the aquatic environment has led
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many countries to develop and to implement water management policies and strategies based on,
amongst others, water quality criteria and objectives.
Conclusion
Its .well known that people use products of meat for food consumption. These are same
to the peoples of living in Ambo town. For this purpose large amount of cattle is being
transported to the slaughter house daily, so while processing and transportation of end products
and also during waste disposal, there should well organized and trained man power in order to
handle waste treatment up to land fill to protect environment from pollution. Specifically the bad
smell from slaughter house cause several diseases related with human respiratory system. Mainly
workers within slaughter house are highly affected. Peoples living near the slaughter house and
those passing near road way also affected by bad odour come from slaughter house. Generally
the ambo town slaughter house needs repair and change of technology for over all process in
order meet peoples need at the same to regulate with environmental management policy.
References
1. Abha Lakshmi Singh*, Saleha Jamal, Shanawaz Ahmad Baba & Md. Manirul Islam,. (2014).
Environmental and Health Impacts from Slaughter Houses Located on the City Outskirts: A
Case Study, Journal of Environmental Protection, 5, 566-575.
2. Ammara Kaynata, Irfan Ahmed Memonb Ali Raza Khosoc & Dr. Ashfaque Pathan
(2016). Health & Environmental Impacts of Slaughter Houses’ Condition on Society –
A Case Study of Hyderabad City, 4th International Conference on Energy,
Environment and Sustainable Development 2016 (EESD 2016), 1-9.
3. Down to Earth (2003) Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi.
4. Salahuddin Mohd. (2011) Household Level Waste Management in Aligarh City. B.R.
Publishers, New Delhi.
5. Singh, A.L. and Rehman, A. (2001) Malaria and Related Environment Issues in India: A
Case Study of Aligarh City, Geo Journal, 53, 89-99.
6. Dr. Subash Thanappan. (2019). Public Participation and Community Engagement as a part of
EIA-A Review, Int. J. of Recent Engg. Res. And Dev., 4(12), pp. 24-29..
7. Dr. Subash Thanappan. (2019). A Proven map to success with Engineering Research and
Dissertation, Int. J. of Sci. and Research, 8(12), pp. 1772-1777.
8. Environmental Impact Assessment EIA – A Pivotal Tool for Sustainable Development, LAP LAMBERT
ACADEMIC PUBLISHING, Germany, ISBN-13: 978-620-3-30324-7
9. Meat Hygiene Service (1998) Animal Welfare at Licensed Abattoirs in Great Britain. Meat Hygiene
Service, York. ERM (2001c)
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10. Guidance on EIA – Screening. Prepared by ERM for the European Commission in June 2001.
Available from: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/eia/eia-support.htm. Commission of the
European Communities, Brussels.
About Corresponding author
Dr. Subash Thanappan, (ORCID NO: 0000-0001-9380-2229) is a senior faculty
member in the Department of Civil Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ambo University,
Ethiopia. He has received the B.E. degree in Civil Engineering from Kuvempu University, Karnataka, India; M.E
degree in Environmental Engineering from Annamalai University, Tamilnadu, India; PhD in Civil Engineering from
Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education (NICHE), Tamilnadu, India in 1994, 2002 and 2018 respectively. He did
many researches especially on soil conservation techniques, air pollution control, water pollution control, artificial
intelligence for highway, concrete technology and solid waste management. The text book titled: “Geographical
Information System: Evaluation of Emission Concentration” wrote by him and published through LAP LAMBERT
Publishers, ISBN No: 9783845412535, Germany has a strong reputation globally and included in the curriculum for
M.Tech Program in Remote Sensing and GIS, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India; curriculum for
M.Tech Program in Artificial Intelligence, Department of Computer Science, JNTUA, Ananthpur, India; curriculum
for M.E / M.Tech in Civil Engineering, Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekananda Technical University, Bhilai (C.G.), India;
curriculum for B.E in Civil Engineering, Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering (Autonomous), Nagpur, India;
curriculum for M.Tech Remote Sensing, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India; and also included in
International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). He wrote a text book titled: Soil Properties – Testing,
Measurement and Evaluation, published through LAP LAMBERT Publishers, ISBN No: 9786202816083, Germany,
2020. He wrote a text book: Environmental Impact Assessment, published through LAP LAMBERT Publishers,
ISBN no: 9786203303247, Germany, 2021. He has published number of National and International journals. He took
the roll and responsibility as Reviewer in Oriental Journal of Chemistry, and Iranian Journal of Science and
Technology Transactions of Civil Engineering, SPRINGER and PhD Thesis examiner for the reputed universities in
India. He is the member in International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), International Association of
Engineers (IAENG) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Indian Society for Technical
Education (ISTE).
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Abattoirs Slaughterhouse Impacts EIA Report Dr. Subash Thanappan (Associate Professor Department Of Civil Engineering Ambo University Ethiopia)

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