Tahir Hussain
Bandipora, January 15: The state Government has directed the district administrations of all districts of state including Bandipora to submit an action plan for Muncipal Solid Waste Management in respective districts.
The Housing and Urban development department j&k has directed all the 22 Districts of state vide order No.25-HUD of 2019 to notify the action Plan for Muncipal Solid Waste Management j&k.
An official of the Housing and Urban Development Department told Kashmir Convener that,"the government is very serious to tackle the growing problem of Solid waste management as both the people and the state government is feeling that some urgent steps needs to be taken as most of our water bodies are getting polluted due to growing waste produced by 1.3 crore population of state and the government is trying to tackle the problem at District and Muncipal levels".
Earlier Kashmir Convener highlighted the pathetic condition of water bodies across state due to non scientific waste management especially dumping of waste near Wular lake by Muncipal Committe Bandipora from past many years.
The Jammu and Kashmir has two Muncipal cooperations, six Municipal Councils and seventy Muncipal Committes and according to 2016 estimate of CPCB, J&K produces about 1792 tonnes of Muncipal Solid Waste per day, out of which only 1322(74%) tonnes per day are collected by various muncipalities across state and remaining 470 tonnes of waste remains uncollected across state and results in creating various problems especially polluting water bodies and spreading epidemics at various places.
Out of 1322 tonnes of Muncipal Waste collected per day,only 320 TPD are treated in various treatment plants across state and 375 TPD are landfilled and rest 470 tonnes remain uncollected.
Dominant portion of the land filled Muncipal Solid waste including toxic wastes from hospitals and other institutions is dumped in open like in Bandipora District and the same waste gets washed away in rainy season resulting in the pollution of water bodies and adjoining areas.
As per CPCB reports 450 MT of waste is collected daily from Srinagar for which the city has 575 garbage collection points,110 dumpers,500 hand carts and 1000 wheel-barrows.A 30 tonnes per hour mechanical segregator has been installed and commissioned at dumping site Achan and 100-150 MTs is being mechanically segregated on daily basis.
Jammu produces about 350 tonnes per day and a landfill site is located at baghwati nagar where 80 dumping trucks dump waste every day,but all these measures seems less to tackle the growing problem of Scientific waste management of solid waste produced across state due to new challanges and increase in the state population.
The construction of the scientific waste management plants at District levels is a growing demand from the people of J&K and that seems the only solution to this growing problem of waste management according to people.
The Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Shahid Chowdary iqbal told Kashmir Convener that they are preparing the action plan and taking all necessary measures for scientific waste management and the problem will be tackled very soon at state and District level as per Government plans.
