Srinagar, Feb 13 : The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday informed the Legislative Assembly that the Achan garbage dumping site in Srinagar, long criticized for environmental and health concerns, is being addressed through scientific interventions rather than abrupt closure.
The reply, given by the Housing and Urban Development Department in response to a question by MLA Shamim Firdous, stated that the site has historically served as the municipal solid waste facility for Srinagar city and accumulated legacy waste over several decades. Public concerns regarding odour, leachate, and health hazards have been acknowledged.
Officials said immediate closure of the site is not feasible without a fully operational alternative facility. Instead, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has initiated measures under Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016, including bio-mining and bio-remediation of approximately 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, operation of a leachate treatment plant, environmental monitoring, odour control, and creation of a green buffer zone.
The government added that scientific capping of old waste cells and development of integrated waste processing infrastructure under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and CITIIS 2.0 are part of a phased closure plan. Public representations for site closure are being duly considered while transitioning to engineered sanitary landfill practices.(KNS)
