Details

Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 03 July 2015

• Calls for comprehensive sewerage, drainage network  to check water logging
• ‘Coordinated effort needed to conserve state’s fragile ecology, biodiversity’

SRINAGAR: Expressing serious concern over the  ever   increasing environmental pollution , mainly due to  human greed,   MLA, Rafiabad, Yawar  Dilawar Mir  has called for coordinated efforts  to conserve the fragile  ecology and biodiversity of the state . While hailing the action initiated by  Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed  against   dead wood in the administration, Yawar called for an exemplary punishment to those officers and elements  indulging  in vandalizing  state’s natural glory.

Speaking  at  a meeting of the Environment Committee held  in the Committee  Room of J&K Legislative  Assembly , Yawar  said  violation of  land use  for commercialization and wonton encroachment of public property has  caused suffocating  congestion adding that   air ,water and noise pollution   has  reached to  an alarming proportion . He has    urged   the need for coordinated efforts to increase the water holding capacity in  water bodies and wetlands  so as  to minimise chances of water logging and   the threat of  possible flash floods looming large in various parts  of the  valley  especially in the Srinagar city.

The meeting   took a detailed review of the  action taken on improving   drainage, sewage and sewerage treatment works, post September 2014 floods, in major towns of Kashmir province, especially in the flood hit Srinagar city. Measures being taken to curb polythene menace were also discussed.  Proposed measures for dredging of the existing flood spill channel and construction of an alternate flood spill channel from Dogripora to Wular Lake and scientific disposal of municipal waste at garbage dumping site at Acchan also came under discussion.

Yawar Mir stressed for a robust environment pollution monitoring   and assessment mechanism,  with stringent laws to curb all sorts of  human infringement with the environment. Forcibly advocating for a mass media awareness campaign about the ill effects of polythene,  Yawar   called for imposing  heavy penalty for  any kind of   violation  on  polythene ban .He stressed for immediate cleansing of accumulated  silt and mud from all the lanes and  drains so that they may not get chocked in the event of incessant rains, which becomes the main  cause of water logging and flash floods.

Yawar dilawar also urged the need for strengthening of the sewerage, drainage and solid waste treatment   network  in the city  in a time bound manner and stressed for reviving the glory of Brari Nambal lagoon. . “ if  we fail to take effective measures  right now  in this regard ,the posterity will never forgive us ,”Yawar  cautioned.

The Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC),  Tufail  Matto  informed the meeting that  a prestigious  Rs.92 cr. project under BOOT module  is being  put in place  within next five months near the  solid waste dumping  site at Acchan, Srinagar  to convert  the whole  municipal disposal  into  energy. He  said state of art machinery is being pressed into service through M/S Toshiba India to  desilt   about 15 kms   through suction method on pilot basis ,which have got    chocked   due to last year’s floods.

The meeting was informed that a mega sewerage scheme for Greater city with a project cost of about   Rs.1498 cr. has been conceived under Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA).