Pollution board puts APMC on notice for dumping debris

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, April 11

Taking a serious note of the mounds of construction and demolition waste (CDW) dumped along the highway near the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) on the Solan-Shimla highway, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) issued a 15-day notice to the committee to explain their stand.

Poses major risk to villagers

• The land was approved as an authorised dumping of construction and demolition waste site for some years and construction waste generated while four-laning the highway was also dumped there
• Even after the four-laning work was completed, dumping of waste continued as it became an illegal dumping site for the entire city. This was posing a major risk to the villagers who reside below
• The large quantity of debris, which has amassed at the site, was even higher than the road level. Despite this there was no end to dumping at this site

Violations of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, besides Section 5 of the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, were found at the site during an inspection conducted by the board officials on April 5.

Regional Officer (RO) Anil Kumar, SPCB, Parwanoo, took note of the issue after publication of a news in these columns titled, “Illegal dumping of debris threats village near National Highway” on March 29.

The official found huge quantity of muck deposited below the national highway near the APMC mandi during the inspection. The reckless dumping of muck was found blocking the natural course of a nullah lying below the highway. The nullah confluences into Gamber river on the Subathu-Kunihar road. The debris poses a threat to the water quality of the nullah as it would flow down during the rains and deteriorate its quality noted the board officials.

The board will also impose an appropriate environmental compensation on the APMC for showing utter disregard towards the environment as per the laid norms. The committee has been directed to take appropriate measures to restore the site after removing the muck within 15 days failing which action would be initiated against the committee informed Anil Kumar, RO, SPCB.

Notably, the site was approved as an authorised dumping of construction and demolition waste (CDW) site for some years and construction waste generated while four-laning the highway was also dumped here.

Even after the four-laning work was completed, dumping of waste continued as it became an illegal dumping site for the entire city. This was posing a major risk to the villagers who reside below. The large quantity of debris which has amassed at the site was even higher than the road level. Despite this there was no end to dumping at this site.

Though the Solan Municipal Corporation tried to regulate the dumping at this site as it was an authorised site but in the absence of adequate measures little could be done. The site was recently taken back by the district administration from the MC to regulate illegal muck dumping but it failed to check the illegal activity.

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#Agriculture #Environment #Pollution #Shimla #Solan