Wullar lake dying a silent death as MCB turns Wullar into dumping yard
Will take legal action if MCB continued the practice: Conservator North
Tahir Hussain
Bandipora, January 30: Once known as Asia’s largest freshwater lake, Wullar is dying a silent death; thanks to the state government and the Municipal Committees of Bandipora District as they have turned the lake into dumping yard.
According to a rough estimate 40-50 tonnes of the waste material including the toxic waste of hospitals is collected from the local areas by the Municipal committee Bandipora and dumped near near Nussu village.
During 2013-14 and 2014-15 Wullar Conservation Management Authority (WUCMA) provided a financial assistance of Rs 39 lakh and Rs 42.90 lakh respectively to Municipal Committee Bandipora for scientific disposal of solid waste so as to prevent any sort of health hazard, However the district administration, till date, has miserably failed to come up with a plan to for waste management.
Under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) NHPC has also donated rupees Rs 76.47 lakh to MCB so far for proper disposal of the solid waste but till now it has not utilized the funds and neither any DPR has been prepared. Officials said WUCMA has also provided Rs 80 lakh for scientific waste management of garbage but the department continued to dump the garbage in Wullar.
An official said in 2008 Municipal Committees across the state were asked to submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR) regarding waste management however the then Chairman of the committee failed to submit a proposal. “Every other Municipal Committee got a waste management project approved except Bandipora due to inefficient people at the helm of affairs,” said a former councilor.
Ironically the vehicles donated by WUCMA with slogan ‘SAVE WULAR' illustrated on it are being used to carry the garbage and Non bio-degradable waste materials on the banks of wullar lake and the same toxic waste material gets washed away in the lake during rainy season.
Experts believe the dumping of the non biodegradable waste material including polythene, daily household waste and toxic hospital waste material has not only made the life of local residents hell but it has caused a great damage to the biodiversity of the Wullar lake, as many species of both flora as well as fauna have either perished or is at the verge of extinction.
"We sat on Dharna for consecutive three days to convey the District Administration not to dump the waste at Wullar basin but our pleas always fell to deaf ears,” said Sultan Ahmad Mir of Nusso Bandipora. “Even former Deputy Commissioners of Bandipora including Manzoor Ahmad lone and Dr. Shah faesal visited the area many times and assured the quick solution of the problem”.
The locals appealed Governor Administration and the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to take immediate note of the serious issue and stop the MCB from illegal practice so the Wullar can be saved for future generations by constructing a scientific waste management plant in Nusso area on the allotted 11 Kanals of land which is at the disposal of MCB.
Conservator Forests (Water Management) for North Kashmir Irfan Rasool told Kashmir Convener that they are going to issue a notice to MCB not to deposit waste material along the banks of Wullar and if they don't stop we are going to lodge an FIR against MCB as no agency can dump any sort of waste material in and around the wetlands and water bodies.
“If MCB needs some help from our agency and WUCMA, we are ready to help them and give suggestions if they need. The MCB should take concrete steps with the help of District Administration to build a scientific waste management plant." he added.
