Srinagar, Oct 22: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a 5-member joint committee of officers to probe pollution caused to Doodh Ganga due to dumping of solid and liquid waste into it.
As per the order, the members include from Central Pollution Control Board, J&K Pollution Control Committee, Deputy Commissioners of Srinagar and Budgam and Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir.
The Principal Bench of NGT headed by Justice Adrash Kumar Goel issued the orders in response to the petition filed by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat social activist and Chairman RTI Movement.
The counsel of the petitioner Advocate Rahul Chowdhary argued that Government of J&K had
failed to prevent discharge of sewage and dumping of solid waste into river Doodh Ganga and Mamath Kull in violation of provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar in his application filed before NGT said that large quantities of pesticides, solid and liquid waste were being dumped into Doodh Ganga and Mamath streams by Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Municipal Committee Budgam. He further submitted that the Government had not provided any facility of waste disposal for people in rural areas of Chadoora and with the result that waste is also being dumped in the Doodh Ganga.
“No STPs has been established by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation or any other Government Body in the entire stretch around river Doodh Ganga as a result of which all the untreated sewage from residentials, commercial establishments, shopping malls, butcher houses, poultry shops, laboratories, diagnostic centres and domestic sewage are directly discharged into the river without any scientific treatment,” the petition reads.
It added that a large number of Municipal Solid Wastes are unscientifically dumped on the banks of river Doodh Ganga and during the present rainy season there is a grave danger of the entire waste to be flowing into the river which is a tributary to River Jhelum.
“A large amount of municipal solid wastes are being dumped unscientifically on the banks of the Mamath Kull stream by the Municipal Committee of Budgam,” reads the petition.
“In view of above material, prima facie it appears that there is continued violation of Water Act to the prejudice of the environment and public health which remains unchecked. Thus, intervention of the Tribunal may be called for. Accordingly, we direct the authorities to verify the facts and take remedial action in accordance with law,” the NGT reads.
“We also constitute a five-member Joint Committee of CPCB, J&K PCC, Deputy Commissioners, Srinagar and Budgam and the Director, Urban Local Bodies, J&K. The State PCB will be the nodal agency for compliance and coordination,” it added.
It added that the Joint Committee may meet within two weeks and undertake visits to the sites in question.
“The Committee may look into the water quality in terms of Fecal coliform, quantity of sewage being discharged, solid waste being dumped on the banks and the action plan prepared by the River Rejuvenation Committee (RRC) for J & K constituted as per earlier orders,” it added.