NGT Orders Action Plan for Waste Management Crisis at Achan Landfill in Srinagar
A grave crisis in the management of waste in Srinagar has been noted as the National Green Tribunal recently issued an order raising concerns over the “unscientific waste disposal” observed at the Achan landfill site, where more than 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste have accumulated. The NGT has directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to furnish a time-bound action plan to address the situation and mitigate the environmental and health hazards caused by the present system of waste management.
On December 12, 2024, the NGT issued an order stating that nearly 450 tonnes of waste are being dumped every day into the Achan landfill site. This accumulative daily load over the legacy wastes has increased the pressure on the systems of the city’s waste management. It also pointed out the extreme absence of action against solid wastes, and leachate management and sewage, which directly threatens the local environment.
The NGT, in its order, expressed grave concern that effluent discharges from the site were entering adjacent streams and rivers, violating provisions of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The NGT’s order underlined the urgency for immediate corrective actions to prevent any further pollution as well as threat to public health. According to a report submitted by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, it is recorded that the city produces approximately 600 tonnes of waste daily. It is also expected to be approximately 918 tonnes per day in 2028. Another aspect established by the report was that the waste processing capacity in the city was already below its requirement because it processes only 150 tonnes of waste daily.
The Achan landfill site was inspected by a joint committee constituted to visit the site and review the situation of waste management in July 2024. Members of this committee included members from the CPCB, the National Wetlands Committee, the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee, and the district magistrate of Srinagar, who found multiple violations in the landfill site. This implies that the committee report showed that several facilities for waste processing were either not working or were in a very poor state at the site. Some of the non-functional facilities that existed were the 100-tonne mechanical segregator, three leachate treatment plants whose capacity is about 360 kilolitres per day, and a sewage treatment plant. Leachate refers to the liquid produced when rainwater filters down into waste. One of the environmental issues that have been considered very prominent is the leachate. The report showed that the leachate collection systems were deficient. Instead, the untreated leachate flowed to a drain leading to Anchar Lake which was approximately 500 meters away from the location.
Waste, although not as unhygienically managed within the Achan landfill, actually rings alarm at neighboring villages since its proximity and close location; most particularly near Zoonimar. The dwellers there tend to say dangers threaten their health because the nature of this garbage type contaminates ground water as well. A memorial by the social welfare committee of Zoonimar village has been submitted to the authorities demanding that they act immediately to move the landfill area to an appropriate location and to reverse legacy waste. Now protests have become the new normal call from this community to demand an immediate intervention into the posed environmental and health issues that are being triggered by the Achan landfill. The protests also brought awareness of a critical need from the city toward acquiring proper infrastructure for waste management, which in turn fails at increasing the levels of waste generation.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation would be asked to present a time-bound action plan in line with the NGT order. It would, accordingly, upgrade the waste management system and solve the legacy waste issue. The measures would be related to upgradation of segregation, processing, and disposal of wastes along with the treatment of leachate and sewage. More than this, the authorities have been asked to apply the solutions that would help mitigate environmental hazards and health issues in the landfill further to safeguard adjacent water bodies from contamination.
The Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee is ordered to take such measures as deemed necessary against the violations committed at the site primarily against unregulated leachate and sewage discharges. In this regard, the NGT has underlined the need for immediate steps preventing further environmental degradation and damage to public health.
Conclusion:The Achan landfill crisis is a stark reminder of the challenges India and the world at large face in managing growing volumes of waste. It shows that regardless of the location, modernization of the waste management system is an essential step toward the more comprehensive implementation of environmental regulations. Without thorough reforms in waste management, cities will continue to face very severe environmental degradation and public health threats. This order of the NGT puts a local authority in an onus to take urgent action on this mounting problem of waste management at Srinagar. More than ever, amidst all the difficulties posed by waste disposal in the city, the city feels an urgent need to find solutions which are not only sustainable but also long-term in nature.
Source: National Green Tribunal (NGT) Order, Srinagar Municipal Corporation