- 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).