Asia’s famed Wular Lake turns into garbage dumping site

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Local municipality dumps waste directly in the Lake, say residents

Sajid Raina

Srinagar, June 19 : The Asia’s famed Wular lake in north Kashmir Bandipora district is fast turning into a garbage dumping site, while local municipality is directly dumping waste into the water body on daily basis.

Local residents who live in Zalwan village, located on the banks the lake told news agency that the area has completely been turned into dumping site as the sanitation staff working with Bandipora municipality collect all garbage from various areas of town and dump it near Zalwan area during night time or early morning.

“Even the biomedical waste collected from the local government district hospital is also dumped near the same area,” the locals said

“It is not only Zalwan area which is being used as a garbage dumping site but other low lying areas along the lake are also being used to dump domestic and commercial waste,” said Saleem Ahmad a resident of plan.

“Few years ago water in the lake was crystal clear and was used for drinking purpose. However, today it is highly contaminated and not suitable even for washing clothes and feeding animals,” he added

Another local resident from Kulhama, Hussain said that in the absence of proper garbage disposal facilities people residing along the banks of the Wular between Laharwapora and Suderkoot Payeen also dump waste in the lake.

He said the situation is worse between Kulhama and Nusoo areas, as one can see tonnes of garbage, polythene bags, animal carcasses, empty gunny bags and other waste material dumped in the lake.

A boatmen, Imtiyaz Ahmad who ferry tourists from Kulhama to Zaina Lank, a tourist spot, said that they do not take the visitors near the sites which are the most polluted. “If we go near those areas, which look like garbage dumping sites, no one would ever want to visit the Wular,” he said.

“Migratory birds which frequented the lake earlier have not been spotted in the past couple of years perhaps due to growing pollution in it,” he said.

The residents said that despite demonstrating many times to seek immediate redressal of the issue but the concerned department showed lackadaisical attitude towards the issue.

Meanwhile, residents appealed the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Ravindar Kumar to personally look into the matter so that people can breathe a sigh of relief—(KNO)

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