The National Green Tribunal’s sharp rebuke to the District Administration, Doda, over the state of pollution control in the ecologically fragile Bhaderwah valley exposes a grim and familiar pattern: prolonged monitoring, repeated assurances, and negligible outcomes on the ground. Despite NGT scrutiny for over two years, Bhaderwah continues to choke under untreated sewage, faecal sludge and solid waste, with rivers and streams bearing the cost of administrative inertia. There is a long list of incomplete and stalled projects. The proposed 4.5 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant and 5 KLD Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant-critical to treating untreated sewage flowing into the Neeru river system-remain stuck in limbo due to litigation. The bio-effluent treatment plant at the new slaughterhouse is only halfway complete despite multiple tenders. Biomining and remediation of legacy waste at dumping sites in rural areas have been delayed endlessly, citing floods, land subsidence and pending approvals. Even decentralised wastewater treatment systems failed due to poor site selection, with flood-prone land allotted without proper assessment.
What emerges is not an isolated setback but a complete catalogue of excuses-litigation, wrong choice of land, subsidence, unprecedented rainfall-each accompanied by fresh timelines that repeatedly lapse. The NGT bench was right to reject such fragmented reporting and piecemeal claims of progress. Environmental governance cannot be reduced to filing status reports while pollution continues unabated. River pollution caused by untreated sewage, faecal matter and solid waste is not a procedural lapse-it is a serious public health and ecological crisis. Aquatic ecosystems are degrading, and communities downstream remain exposed to contaminated water sources. That the same problems persist after years of monitoring is unacceptable and points to a deeper failure of coordination, accountability and urgency within the administration.
The District Administration cannot continue projecting helplessness before judicial forums. Resolving tender disputes, identifying alternative land, finalising DPRs and executing works are administrative responsibilities, not insurmountable obstacles. Where local capacity falters, higher authorities must step in. The Divisional Commissioner and the concerned UT Ministry must intervene decisively to cut through delays, expedite court-related bottlenecks, and enforce implementation on a war footing. Bhaderwah’s fragile Himalayan ecosystem cannot afford more bureaucratic drift. Protection of the valley requires action, not affidavits; execution, not explanations. It is time for the administration to move beyond excuses and safeguard Bhaderwah before the cost of inaction becomes permanent.
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