In Udhampur, hillside turns into garbage site

Sumit Hakhoo
Tribune News Service
Jakhani (Udhampur), Oct 16

For over a decade, tonnes of solid waste are being dumped daily on a hillside along the national highway in Udhampur district, proving disastrous for the environmentally fragile Shivalik mountains.

It is estimated that about 15 tonne of waste generated daily from various parts of the district, including the Municipal Committee, Udhampur city, is dumped into the gorge, despite opposition from the locals.

The mountains have already been ravaged by the four-laning of the 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The garbage is also polluting the Tawi passing through the area. The area, where the garbage is dumped, is also houses a filtration plant which supplies drinking water to various parts of the district.

“Despite our protests, the area is being used as a garbage dump since 2008. Water-borne diseases are common in hamlets around the site. People remain sick here due to the smell,” said Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Ambiyar village in Udhampur. The administration has failed to establish a garbage dumping site at Tikri, about 24 km from Udhampur city, also the headquarters of the Northern Command.

Under the Army’s Operation Sadbhavana, Rs 1 crore was sanctioned for the establishment of a solid waste management plant at Tikri in 2006, but it could not be started due to red-tapism and lack of interest by the successive state governments.

“The entire hillside has been turned into a dumping site. It attracts stray animals which prove dangerous for drivers. Drivers drive carefully while passing through the stretch as there is always fear of an accident,” said Mohammad Saleem, a taxi driver.

Thousands of people travel on the highway daily. Travellers often complain of foul smell when passing through the area. Garbage remains scattered on the road stretch, making manoeuvring risky for vehicles.

Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Ravinder Kumar said: “We have no other garbage disposal site. People do not allow dumping of garbage in their areas. Our main focus now is to develop the Tikri site for which the tenders have been issued.”

A senior official said he did not know when the project would be completed.