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| SMC's dumping site 99% filled, no idea about new sites | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 2: As Srinagar Municipal Corporation's (SMC's) landfill site at Achan is 99% filled, sources say by end of this year there will be no space left in this 650 kanal garbage dumping site. The authorities have not yet identified an alternate site and this will lead to severe crises from 2019 onwards.
Details available with Early Times reveal than cell 3rd at Achan landfill site is 99% filled and it can hardly accommodate the garbage for another 7 to 8 months. The SMC, on the other hand, has no clue what is to be done after the existing landfill site is full. Sources in the SMC said that waste-to-energy programme is a distant dream as nobody is coming forward to take up this mega work.
In spite of the High Court orders, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), SMC, and all other Municipal Committees and Councils across the state are allegedly continuing to dump 80% to 100% untreated garbage at their respective dumping sites.
As reported by this newspaper, taking a strong notice of inefficient waste management in J&K by different executing agencies, the High Court division bench of acting Chief Justice S Ramalingam and Justice M K Hanjura on April 4 issued notice to SMC, JMC, Rural Development Department (RDD), Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Housing & Urban Development Department, Tourism Department, Horticulture Department and few more government-owned organizations to abide by Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016.
The High Court had directed all the municipal institutions to take only 10% of segregated waste to landfill sites.
But sources say that JMC/SMC and all other MCs across state are still violating the High Court order. Except in some parts of Srinagar city where SMC has started collecting segregated waste and creating awareness through some NGOs, JMC and all the MCs across the state are openly violating the SWM Rules 2016.
The High Court had sought a status report from these organization by or before May 15 about the status of implementation of waste management schemes. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed by Srinagar-based Environmental Policy Group (EPG) through its Convener Faiz Bakshi who sought intervention of High Court over inefficient management of solid waste in Srinagar, Jammu all the major towns and villages of J&K state. The PIL alleged that government agencies like SMC, JMC, ULBs , RDD, etc. are not at all adhering to Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban / Gramin) guidelines.
The court sought details from all the government agencies involved in waste management work to send details of works being executed or executed to address problems of waste management.
Copies of all the tender documents issued for waste management have also been sought by High Court division bench which have to be produced on May 15 during next hearing of the case.
In addition, the High Court had directed municipal institutions in its interim order to abide by SWM Rules and take only 10% garbage to landfill sites. But from last 28 days since this order was issued the municipal authorities continue to violate the order.
"The SMC is trying to get land from a new landfill site in Budgam, but till date we haven't succeeded. There are many challenges. For example, people at Patwaw village are already resisting against Budgam Municipal Committee as they had planned to have a landfill site there. It is a big challenge but we will tackle this by clearing old waste through Bio-Remediation process," said a senior officer of SMC. |
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