Sewage, wastewater projects behind schedule
Slow progress despite multiple NGT directives
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 8: Over two years after alarming environmental concerns surfaced in the picturesque Bhaderwah valley, permanent solutions to several identified problems continue to remain elusive despite these issues being flagged by the Doda district administration itself on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
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The issue of increasing pollution badly affecting water bodies in Bhaderwah hogged the limelight in the month of January 2024 and National Green Tribunal, while taking suo-moto cognizance of the same, issued several directions to the Doda district administration.
On January 1, 2026, the National Green Tribunal directed the administration to file a fresh comprehensive progress report with the observation that information furnished before it was incomplete and doesn’t provide for complete remediation of the problems.
In compliance of this directive, the Doda district administration has submitted a fresh progress report of the Action Plan. However, the analysis of the same reveals little progress on several grave issues as a result of which environmental concerns highlighted in early 2024 continue to remain largely unaddressed.
As far as treatment of sewage is concerned, the administration had proposed establishment of 4.5 MLD STP for proper treatment and disposal of sewage waste, 5 KLD FSTP for proper treatment and disposal of septage waste and development of 5.68 kilometers interception and diversion network for collection of sewage and septage. The Urban Environment Engineering Department and Municipal Committee Bhaderwah were supposed to take action on these points.
In the latest report submitted to the NGT, the administration has fixed target date of March 31, 2027 for creation of infrastructure for treatment of sewage on the ground that one of the participating bidders has approached the High Court against the other bidders and due to this, the work was again put to tenders on March 6, 2026 and at present technical evaluation process is going on.
To prevent waste water from getting drained in water bodies without any treatment, the administration had assured the National Green Tribunal that three decentralized waste water treatment systems will be established near confluence point of Lamgarh Nallah and Neeru at Sarol Bagh Udrana, near Sartingal bridge and graveyard in Monda and near Butla by the Rural Development Department.
Now, it has been claimed that construction work of decentralized waste water treatment systems suffered due to unprecedented rainfall last year and a consultant has opined that sites were highly flood prone and not suitable for the construction.
“Three new sites have been identified and Detailed Project Reports submitted for accord of administrative approval, which is awaited. If everything goes well the system will be created by ending current year”, the report said.
Regarding open dumping of waste into water bodies, the report said that chain link fencing along the banks of all hotspots within municipal limits is being installed. “For this, Executive Officer Municipal Committee Bhaderwah has released Rs 100 lakh and as of today, 15% work has been completed”, the report further said.
About plastic waste management unit, the report said that construction work was initiated but a portion of adjacent BRO road subsided followed by unprecedented spell of rainfall which adversely affected the work. “In view of the road adjacent to the proposed site of construction is sinking day by day, current proposed site has been found non-feasible. Alternate site is being identified in liaison with the Revenue Department”, the report added.
“In such a framework, environmental protection risks becoming a paper work exercise rather than a governance priority. The administration must prove whether its efforts can move beyond files and deliver real and measurable environmental recovery”, the environmentalists remarked.
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