People living near garbage dump in Achan demand ‘clean air’

Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 31

Spread over 600 kanal, the garbage dumping site at Achan remains the focal point of the agitation against the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

The stink emanating from the dumping ground is giving sleepless nights to the residents of the nearby localities even as the government is making efforts to tackle the problem.

While the government is on its toes to ensure adequate waste management measures, the residents are demanding shifting of the site or setting up of waste treatment plants. They are also seeking segregation of the solid waste.

“Give us clean air. The garbage dump has led to many ailments among the residents, including breast cancer, throat and stomach ailments,” said residents living in the vicinity of the site.

“The Anchar Lake near the site has virtually ceased to exist. Over 5,000 kanal of agricultural land around the site has been rendered unproductive. The Valley’s tertiary hospital, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, which is located in the vicinity of the dumping ground, is also under threat,” the residents added.

With the capital city’s population crossing the 16 lakh mark, it is a huge task to tackle the daily produce of 400 to 450 metric ton of garbage, said BA Khan, Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).

He said steps were in progress for segregation of solid waste, filtration and setting up of a separate sewage treatment plant for treatment of leachate and proper use of 378 kanal land outside the fenced site.

He also expressed concern over the illegal construction of houses in the area. “It needs an uninterrupted working for 15 days to undertake the short-term measures for treatment of garbage, while long-term measures can take up to two years,” Khan told the Tribune.

The residents of Saidpora, one of the 18 localities around the site, launched fresh protests on March 5 in support of their demands, hampering the movement of garbage carrying vehicles into the dump.

The protesters alleged that a population of 80,000 was facing problems due to the dump.

“We have to deploy security for the safe landing of vehicles…it hampers the waste management,” said the Commissioner.

Khan said an uninterrupted work by its staff and technical experts at the site would help early completion and addressing of the problem.

The residents though claimed that they were being harassed and many of them had been arrested from time to time.