Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Jan 2: The administration is poised to start operating waste treatment units at 10 Urban Local Bodies across Kashmir this month as part of the first phase of the Swach Bharat Mission, beginning the Valley’s long-overdue transition to effective garbage management.
Officials at the Urban Local Bodies Department told Excelsior that the establishment of the waste treatment plants will finally address the Valley’s long-standing need for efficient waste treatment and stop the serious environmental issues that were developing as a result of the improper management of municipal waste.
“It was required because none of our urban local body had even one treatment facility, making it difficult to manage waste and negatively affecting the environment due to improper treatment,” an official said.
He said that previous attempts to build similar facilities had failed because a public-private partnership had been envisioned when they were first being planned. “But now that the government is fully supporting the initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission, that roadblock has been cleared,” he said.
Mathoora Masoom, Director of Urban Development Kashmir, said that nearly ten urban local bodies, including Ghadoora, Qazigund, Kangan, Shopian, Gandrbal, Achabal, and Dooru Sumbal, are set to start treatment facilities this month. “The infrastructure is complete, and before 10th January, the required equipment will be delivered. Due to the unfavourable weather, there was a slight delay in starting some facilities,” she said.
She said ten further treatment facilities, including those in Char-e-Sharif, Hajin, Mattan, and Kulgam, would be operational by March and all 40 urban local bodies in Kashmir will have waste treatment plants by September 2023.
She also mentioned that the department is getting a fleet of about 44 vehicles to add to the 107 trucks it already has for collecting trash from door to door. “These vehicles feature distinct bins for the various sorts of waste and would help to segregate the waste at the source as well as in management and disposal,” she said, adding that there is no lack of funding and trash management programs that have been put on hold for many years will be implemented.
These waste treatment facilities were built as part of the government’s Rs. 200 crore action plan for managing solid waste in the Valley, which aims to stop unfavorable waste disposal practices like dumping trash in freshwater bodies of water, agricultural lands, forest areas, and roadside areas, which harm the environment.
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