Sajid Raina
Bandipora, Nov 23 : The prolonged issue of the Zalwan dumping site, situated on the shore of Wullar Lake in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, has finally come to a resolution as the administration has initiated the land filling and protection work, providing substantial relief to residents from solid waste.
Acknowledging the significant challenge of solid waste management, an official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the administration is actively addressing rural waste through initiated house collection, marking successful progress.
“In the urban waste management project, a 6 crore project has been sanctioned for the Zalwan filling site, ensuring the collection and environmentally friendly disposal of waste through a scientific process,” he said
“Simultaneously, ongoing land filling and protection work at the Nasoo existing dumping site is providing considerable relief to residents of the main town,” the official added.
He said that a stream near the Zalwan dumping site was directly flowing into Wullar Lake, posing a significant threat to the lake’s ecosystem.
The Zalwan Dumping site had been in use since 1964, and over time, the volume of solid waste grew, adversely impacting Wullar Lake.
Last year, the Supreme Court criticized the Jammu and Kashmir administration for the unscientific dumping and disposal of solid waste, emphasizing that such practices endanger people’s lives.
A bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar dismissed the plea filed by the Municipal Committee of Bandipora challenging the imposition of a Rs 64.21 lakh environmental compensation for unscientific waste handling.
Expressing concern, the bench had stated, “Is this how you handle matters? Is this the awareness in your state? You cannot jeopardize people’s lives. Pay the fine.”
The civic body’s lawyer argued that the fine was imposed despite having a new dumping ground ready and highlighted the municipal council’s remedial actions for the scientific management of solid waste.
The Supreme Court was addressing a plea by the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, Bandipora, Kashmir, against the National Green Tribunal’s decision not to quash the environmental compensation imposed by the J-K State Pollution Control Committee.
The pollution control committee had identified haphazard and unscientific dumping of solid waste at Zalwan Nassu site near the district headquarters of Bandipora and in the catchment area of Wullar lake near Zalwan Nallah by the municipal committee.
As previously highlighted numerous times by KNO, the Zalwan has transformed entirely into a dumping site. The sanitation staff employed by the Bandipora municipality collect refuse from various town areas and deposit it near the Zalwan area during the night or early morning—(KNO)
