Not because Jammu and Kashmir being environmentally sensitive , not because the UT is primarily a tourist destination, not because all steps needed to be taken to keep in view the general health considerations of the people but maintaining all-round cleanliness and protecting our exasperating and gasping water bodies , most of which are natural and unparalleled in location , beauty and of tremendous tourist interest – hence warranting disposal of waste material in a foolproof scientific manner. In this connection, Kashmir valley does not appear to have even a single waste treatment plant in and around the areas of any of the Urban Local Bodies resulting in dumping of the generated waste wherever found opportune to dump by the concerned Municipal staff. Why should there be an utter mismanagement and mishandling of scientific disposal of waste material when Urban Local Bodies are funded adequately now as never before, is pertinent to be known.
Practices are rife to throw such stuff from over the bridges into the River Veth or Jehlum thus polluting this famous river which once used to be flowing majestically with its crystal clear water through the valley and people used to bathe in and do swimming without any fear of the water being even remotely polluted . Shockingly , in other water bodies too such material is dumped in huge quantity unmindful of the serious consequences thereof as even the structure and quality parameters of such water bodies stand vastly altered but , perhaps, to no one’s concern. What , therefore, is needed is to give a practical shape and on the ground to any proposals about a core action plan to have the problem resolved on a permanent basis. The said action plan should also include an effective door to door collection of waste material and its ”covered” transportation up to the disposal sites.