Summer capital Srinagar generates 400 metric tons of waste each day, reveals action draft plan on solid-waste management.
This waster generation has witnessed an increase of over 18 percent in a decade. “The CPCB report estimates that a total of 400 metric tons of waste is generated per day in Srinagar, 62 percent of this waste is organic in nature while the remaining is inorganic including 7 percent of plastic waste,” reads the draft report, adding the average collection of waste/day was 350 in 2013.
The summer capital has 575 garbage collection points, 110 dumpers, 500 handcarts and 1000-wheel barrows while 30,000 color-coded bins are being procured for collection of the waste. All the municipal wards are considered for door to door collection, reads the report, adding 80 trucks dumps waste on daily basis landfill at Achan dumping site, spread over 65 acres.
The state government has put in public domain draft action plan for solid waste management, after a report was submitted before National Green Tribunal (NGT) which had revealed that there is 100 percent open dumping of Municipal Solid Waste by SMC, JMC and all Municipal Councils and Municipal Committees.
The NGT report had given 31st rank to J&K with in Solid Waste Management policy while Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been ranked as 1, 2 and 3 respectively in view of scientific management of the waste. The SMC has recently started door-to-door collection of garbage and segregation at source. At the state level, on an average 3134 ton of solid waste is generated each day.
In the face of “low level of services” this waster generation “causes threat to public health in particular and environment quality in general”, reveals the draft plan for municipal solid waste management 2018. The policy document attributes the increase in the waste to growing population.
The policy highlights failure of urban local bodies and municipal bodies to “tackle waste disposal on scientific basis” despite municipal agencies spending 5-25 percent of their annual budget on these activities.