Sir,
This refers to the article ‘Managing Waste Organic Way’ by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat DE 9th Oct 2017.
I am highly impressed with this column and I urge upon the authorities to initiate scientific waste management in our state particularly in fruit mandis of Jammu and Srinagar plus water-bodies like Dal lake , Tawi river , Jhelum and other canals across J&K. Tons of fruit and vegetable waste lies scattered around several market places, water-bodies across the towns and cities of J&K, but there is no mechanism in-place to treat this waste.
The author has suggested authorities at the helm of affairs to get necessary funds from Central Government for establishing waste processing units around fruit / vegetable markets. The funds are already available under various schemes of Union Ministry of Agriculture , but it is dismaying that no official proposal has gone from our State in the past to tap the funds. I am sure our Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers will convene a meeting on this issue very soon. Waste can be converted into wealth and to make it wealth we have to treat it instead of carrying it to dump sites. As per fresh Waste Management Rules of 2016 , only 20 % of the waste is to be carried to landfill sites and 80 percent has to be processed, but our civic bodies carry all the waste to dump sites. In Srinagar city alone 450 Mts of waste is dumped at Achan on daily basis. Not even one percent of this waste is treated. Same is the situation in Jammu, Udhampur, Baramulla and Anantnag towns. Segregation of waste at source is also very important and Municipal Corporations of Jammu and Srinagar should take up this work without any delay.
Yours etc…
N A Yatoo
Vice Chairman
J&K Cements Ltd
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