Uncertainty prevails over use of alternate site at Kot Bhalwal
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 24: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that dumping site of Jammu Municipal Corporation and Sewage Treatment Plants of Urban Environment Engineering Department near River Tawi don’t have mandatory clearance from Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board and both these agencies have been openly flouting relevant provisions of environmental laws.
Though these Government agencies have been continuously violating the environmental laws by not obtaining formal clearance from the Pollution Control Board yet the startling facts came to the fore only when the Division Bench of State High Court started issuing directions in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting continuous pollution of River Tawi, which is also considered as scared water body by the people of Jammu.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in the maiden meeting of a committee framed by the High Court recently it came to the fore that Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Urban Environment Engineering Department (UEED) have not obtained mandatory clearance from the Pollution Control Board for dumping of huge waste being generated every day in the length and breadth of Jammu city and for establishment of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs).
As per the provisions of the environmental laws, consent to establish is required to be obtained from the Pollution Control Board (PCB) for any garbage dumping site as well as for setting up of STPs and following establishment the concerned agencies are supposed to obtain consent to operate from the PCB. It is only after obtaining formal clearance from the PCB that STPs can be made operational and dumping site can be put to use.
“The basic reason behind seeking consent from the PCB is to ensure that during the operation of STPs and use of dumping site(s) the provisions of environmental laws are strictly adhered to by the concerned agencies. But both the Government agencies are continuously flouting the laws thereby not only creating air pollution but also leading to pollution of underground water as well as River Tawi”, sources rued.
Out of three STPs established by UEED near River Tawi, consent to establish has been obtained only in respect of one having capacity to treat 30 Million Liters of sewage per day but consent to operate has not been taken till date despite the fact that this STP has already been made operational albeit to its minimal capacity, sources said while disclosing that in respect of two other STPs neither consent to establish nor consent to operate has been obtained from PCB till date.
“Similarly, Jammu Municipal Corporation is dumping waste at a site near River Tawi during the past several years but it has never found it appropriate to seek clearance from the PCB”, sources said, adding “this site even lacks clearance of other agencies like Indian Air Force despite the fact that rules explicitly state that any garbage dumping site should not be within 10 kilometers from any airport”.
“What to talk of polluting sacred River Tawi none of the concerned Government agency is aware about the level of air and water pollution being caused by this dumping site”, sources regretted, adding “the dumping of waste at a particular site for years together is fraught with the danger of polluting underground water in the nearby areas”.
Pointing towards the alternate dumping site identified by the Jammu Municipal Corporation in Kot Bhalwal area after hectic efforts, sources said, “uncertainty prevails over use of this site in view of the fact that on its one side the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) has carved out a residential colony and on other side a private colony is being set-up”, adding “there is every possibility that High Court may not allow Municipal Corporation to utilize this site especially when residential colonies are being established in its immediate vicinity”.
“All this clearly establishes that strict adherence to the environmental laws is least priority for JMC and UEED, which function under the administrative control of Department of Housing and Urban Development”, sources said while stressing that Government should immediately initiate corrective measures so that sacred River Tawi is protected from being polluted anymore and underground water as well as air pollution is prevented.
When contacted, a senior officer of PCB, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that neither JMC nor UEED has obtained much-needed clearance from the Board till date. “It seems that these agencies are waiting for directions from the High Court to meet the mandatory requirement”, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Court Commissioners appointed by Division Bench of State High Court following their visit to STPs and dumping site of JMC had stressed upon the need of shifting the open dumping site adjacent to River Tawi immediately as the same is causing pollution. “Moreover, the open dumping site is situated adjacent to the airport where the birds accumulate in large numbers which may result in any accident to aircrafts”, the Court Commissioners have mentioned in the report.
After going through the report of Court Commissioners, the DB had observed: “The situation is alarming and River Tawi is virtually dying”.
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