Littered garbage sullies Kullu’s beauty

Dipender Manta

Poor garbage disposal in Kullu is an eyesore for lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists who visit the district every year to enjoy its scenic beauty. 

Kullu district is blessed with a bounty of nature; the Rohtang Pass is a major attraction where tourists can enjoy snow activity even in June. Besides, the Jalori Pass in Banjar subdivision, Hamta Pass near Manali, Bijli Mahadev temple near Kullu town and the Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery at Nagar are the preferred tourist destinations in the district. But heaps of garbage dumped here and there give a bad look to Kullu; garbage greets tourists from Bajaura up to Manali. Moreover, the stink emanating from decaying waste materials pose health hazards to local people. The situation has arisen due to the non-functioning of the garbage treatment plant at Pirdi, situated near the Beas.

As the plant has been shut down, garbage is flowing into the Beas. Environmentalists had taken up the matter with the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The green tribunal had asked the authorities concerned to shut down the Pirdi plant to protect the ecology of the Beas and set up another at some other place.

The plant at Pirdi was playing a crucial role in managing tonnes of garbage lifted from the areas falling under the Bhunter and Kullu municipal councils every day. After its closure, the sanitary conditions in Kullu district have worsened. However, the municipal authorities of Bhunter and Kullu are making efforts to dispose of garbage in pits at isolated places.

There is a plan to set up a garbage disposal plant at Manali, which will also generate electricity from waste. Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur has said that once the proposed plant comes up, it will take care of garbage from the entire district. But garbage from nearby districts will have to be transported to Manali to generate electricity. There was the July 2019 deadline to make the plant functional but till date there had been no progress. The municipal authorities of Bhunter, Kullu and Manali are helpless to dispose of garbage properly.

Local residents are worried that poor garbage disposal will create health hazards and blame the municipal authorities as well as the district administration for their failure to find a permanent solution to the problem.  

They are making videos of the activities of the municipal authorities on their mobile phones; burning of garbage being the common occurrence. They lament that the smoke emanating from burning garbage is a threat to the ecology of the area as well as to humans, especially patients suffering with lung ailments.  

Abhishek Rai, president, Himalayan Environment Conservation Organisation, alleges that the Kullu Municipal Committee burns heaps of garbage at various places in the town. The waste of Kullu town is not being disposed of at the Pirdi plant after January 2 this year. The NGT had ordered the Kullu Municipal Committee on June 19, 2017, to shift the dump yard, which was located adjacent to the Beas. However, garbage dumping at the yard was stopped in January this year after protests by local residents. 

“Now, the Kullu Municipal Committee is dumping waste at various places in the town and a stench emanates from heaps of garbage. The municipal waste is being burnt in violation of the orders of the NGT. All this is happening under the nose of the district administration, while the NGT had directed for imposing strict penalties on those found causing environmental pollution,” he says.

Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur had raised the issue in the Vidhan Sabha, but to no avail. He says that the Kullu Dasehra is going on and he will keep vigil on garbage disposal. It is also suspected that a huge quantity of garbage is being dumped in the Beas, ecologically degrading the river.

Kullu MC vice-president Gopal Krishan Mahant says that the committee is trying to dispose of garbage in pits. Manali MC president Neena Thakur says, “At present, we are disposing of garbage at an identified site. We are waiting for the new garbage disposal plant at Manali to become functional. This plant will also generate electricity from waste. It will play a crucial role in managing the garbage problem of Kullu district”.

Waste being burnt in violation of NGT orders

The Kullu Municipal Committee burns heaps of garbage at various places in the town. The waste of Kullu town is not being disposed of at the Pirdi plant after January 2 this year. A stench emanates from heaps of garbage. The municipal waste is being burnt in violation of the orders of the NGT. All this is happening under the nose of the district administration, while the NGT had directed for imposing strict penalties on those found causing environmental pollution. Abhishek Rai, president, Himalayan Environment Conservation Organisation