On Monday the Civil society in Srinagar filed a petition before the National Green Tribunal seeking it’s intervention over the dumping of garbage at Achin dumping site by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. The civil society stated that over 600 metric tonnes of garbage on the daily basis is dumped on the site with no scientific treatment.
The site for the dumping of garbage is being used by SMC for many decades now and the repeated requests by the local inhabitants to relocate the site yielded no positive results so far. This site with millions of tonnes of garbage has caused a huge health issues for the local people. Water borne diseases, cancers of various kinds are growing in the local people.
Neither the water for drinking received in the locality from bore wells is safe nor the crops around the vicinity cultivated by farmers are diseases free. The people residing here suffer social stigma even as well claimed by them.
Chest diseases is yet another problem mostly children and elders face here. They face difficulties in marrying their daughters and sons given this problem. It is ironical that despite the technology and scientific invasion in every sphere of life, our government is still lacking an exposure to use the scientific methods not only to treat this garbage but also losing a precious opportunity in converting this waste into sustainable energy.
There is no paucity of resources but lack of interest and exposure in our officials to take these initiatives. The government has recently started yet another project of collecting garbage from rural areas- the step much needed.
The garbage in our rural areas thrown out on roads, Public spaces and in water bodies had caused huge environmental degradation and hit our pristine water bodies. Doodh Ganga yet again in Srinagar that flows from Doodhpatri in Budgam district is a glaring example. But what government should do to this collected garbage that is in millions of tonnes in daily basis is million dollar question.
These garbage collecting vehicles are dumbing it outside the localities without any scientific treatment. In coming times, if the technology is not involved, this would emerge as a major challenge for us. If this waste can’t be converted into energy form for any reasons but it shall be treated scientifically so that it wouldn’t cause any harm to the flaura and fauna.
