SRINAGAR: Environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the Achan landfill in Srinagar continues to pose serious environmental and public health risks, alleging that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has failed to implement scientific waste management despite claims made before the Tribunal.
In a rejoinder filed before the NGT in Original Application No. 543 of 2024, the applicant contended that the civic body has not produced documentary evidence to support its claims of compliance and has failed to explain why directions issued by the Tribunal in 2015 and 2017 remain unimplemented more than a decade later.
The rejoinder states that unscientific dumping of solid, biomedical and plastic waste at the Achan landfill continues to pollute the area through leachate discharge into nearby water bodies, canals and Anchar Lake. It also alleges that the landfill continues to emit foul odour despite SMC’s claim that anti-odour sprays and bio-enzymes are being used.
Referring to a recent Greater Kashmir report annexed with the rejoinder, the applicant said the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, has repeatedly written to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation over the persistent foul smell from the landfill, warning that it poses health risks to critically ill patients, attendants and hospital staff. The rejoinder argues that the continued complaints from the hospital demonstrate that waste management measures claimed by the SMC have not yielded the intended results.
The applicant further submitted that SMC has restricted access to the landfill site, making it difficult to independently verify the civic body’s claims regarding on-ground progress. It said the corporation’s response relies largely on unsubstantiated statements without supporting documents or evidence.
The rejoinder also alleges that SMC has failed to meet several timelines it had committed to before the Tribunal. According to the filing, the leachate treatment plant remained non-functional beyond the promised deadline, waste cells continued to remain uncapped with around 500 metric tonnes of waste still being dumped daily, the proposed expansion of the Material Recovery Facility from 100 to 250 tonnes per day has not been demonstrated, and biomining operations have only begun at an initial stage while the completion timeline has reportedly been extended to September 2027. It also claims that no progress has been shown in expanding the green buffer plantation beyond 3,200 trees and that ragpickers continue to work without adequate safety measures despite earlier commitments.
The applicant argued that the failure to establish a waste-to-energy plant cannot be cited as a justification for non-compliance, maintaining that the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 place the primary responsibility for waste collection, segregation, processing and scientific disposal on the local body irrespective of the project’s status.
The rejoinder further submitted that SMC has not disclosed the action taken to comply with the NGT’s earlier orders dated January 13, 2015 and December 12, 2017, which had directed improvements in municipal solid waste management and the establishment of a waste-to-energy plant.
The applicant has urged the Tribunal to direct the District Magistrate to ensure compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules and sought appropriate action against the Srinagar Municipal Corporation over the alleged continuing violations and environmental damage caused by the Achan landfill.
