Wajahat Shabir
Srinagar: A year after authorities assured the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that legacy waste along the Poonch River would be cleared, a fresh affidavit has blown the lid off what appears to be continued dumping, administrative failure, and deliberate environmental damage in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch.
In a damning submission before the National Green Tribunal, environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat has alleged that authorities in Poonch have failed to honour their commitment to clear legacy waste from the riverbanks, with fresh evidence pointing to ongoing dumping and possible intentional pollution.
The affidavit, filed in Original Application No. 253 of 2023, pertains to illegal disposal of solid and bio-medical waste along a critical stretch of the Poonch River — from Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge to the Belar Nala confluence.
The NGT had taken cognizance of the issue in April 2023, and in subsequent proceedings, the Municipal Council Poonch assured that the entire legacy waste would be remediated by August 2025. That assurance now appears hollow.
According to the latest affidavit, ground photographs dated April 1, 2026 reveal that not only has the old waste not been cleared, but fresh dumping of mixed waste continues unabated at the site.
In what could amount to a serious environmental violation, the applicant has alleged that heavy machinery is being used to push waste directly into the river — a move described as a deliberate attempt to reduce visible garbage on the banks while worsening river pollution.
“This is not mere negligence but a systematic failure,” the affidavit suggests, pointing out that similar practices had been flagged earlier before the Tribunal without any corrective action on ground.
The document further states that authorities have failed to implement any meaningful remediation measures, even as the risk of “irreversible environmental damage” looms large. It warns of severe public health consequences if contamination of river water continues unchecked.
The annexed photographic evidence paints a grim picture — sprawling heaps of garbage choking riverbanks, decomposing carcasses, and waste dangerously close to flowing water, underscoring the scale of inaction. Seeking urgent intervention, the applicant has urged the NGT to direct immediate removal of waste and enforce accountability to prevent further ecological degradation in the region.
