Jammu, Sep 24 (KNS): “We The Human”, Forum for Nature & Mankind held seminar and debate competition at auditorium hall of the Government College for Women Parade Ground Jammu. Prof. Sadiq Nargal Pioneer in Food Processing, who retired as senior scientist & Professor from the SKUAST, was the Chief Guest. Sh. R S Jasrotia IFS CCF (Retd) and Sh. Nirmal Gupta President Rotary Club Jammu Astha were guests of Honour. The panel of Judges comprised of Sh. K. K. Sharma Dir Floriculture (Retd), Sh. Mohinder Kumar Assistant Director, Dr. Tasleem Assistant Professor and Associate Professor Ghanjeet Singh.
The function was presided over by Professor Hemla Aggarwal Principal of the College. Apart from the Chief Guest and guests of Honour, a gathering of more than three hundred college students were addressed by senior resource persons of the trust Lalit Sharma IFS Adl PCCF (Retd), S. Prem Singh an Octogenarian, (Retd) Justice Kw. Y S Manhas, and Anuj Verma,.
Lalit Sharma Retd Adl PCCF informed that as per an estimate, more than eighty percent of waste generated here, in J&K, is untreated and finds its way into water bodies or burnt unscientifically. A lot of waste gets washed down the streams and rivers and enters the Jhelum, which is the largest river in J&K. In Jammu, lot of waste is being dumped at various sites along the banks of Suryaputri Tawi river, Devika river, thus causing a mal-environment around.
A major component of the non-hazardous waste stream comprises plastic waste, including plastic carry bags, sachets, chips packets and magazine covers. Due to one of the worst waste management system in our state, the problem of plastic waste disposal has become grave.
Now comes one of the easiest but very dangerous solution, as human beings have tendencies to adopt shorter & easy routes. Burning of non biodegradable waste, which otherwise the local bodies authorities are under lawful obligation to collect the same & dispose of using safe/ scientific methods. But, the non biodegradable as well as biodegradable garbage remains unattended by the local bodies’ authorities for day’s together, despite of complaints by inhabitants and after a day or two, the inhabitants burn that garbage out of compulsion, otherwise there is apprehension of spread of communicable diseases. Plastic garbage is also commonly used, during winter season, for starting the morning wood fires in villages.
But, these ignorant people forget that due to its indiscriminate disposal by unscientific burning leads into green gases emissions apart from having dangerous effects of deadly dioxins, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls and furans. These pollutants remain in environment for a longer period of time. Bioaccumulation of these pollutants usually occurs indirectly through contaminated water and food leading to cancer, deformed offspring, reproductive failure, immune diseases and neuro-behavioral effects. Wild & marine life is also equally affected which increase possibilities of human being exposed to any among above serious diseases.
Expressing his deep concern, Anuj Verma, the Chief Resource Person of the trust asked the audience to just visit few parts of Jammu city, their whole spine will shiver; For example, go to Parade ground road in old Jammu city and see collection dumping centre for garbage waste near Geeta Bhawan. Such is the state of Parade dumping site that permanent stagnant water is there throughout the day with stray animals scavenging on the waste and such is the stink that one cannot stand there even for few seconds. This site also creates traffic bottleneck on busiest road of the city huge rush of vehicles and pedestrians. Astonishingly, this is just opposite to Parade Ground Police picket with adjoining SSP Jammu office along with chicken meat shops, one pakodawala, one pickel vendor, fruit vendors, one vegetables market in close vicinity and number of tea stalls & fruit juice vending carts also in the area. With these food joints adjoining this dumping site one can conclude two things, either Jammu Municipal Corporation/ J&K Food Safety Organization have invented a technology to sanitize this area completely or these food joints have some special technique to kill bacteria. With Jammu Municipal Corporation, J&K Food Safety Organization as well as J&K Pollution Control Board Authorities closing their eyes, they are playing with the health of public and showing thumb to Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
Just have a round of the whole city, in more than 50% areas, you will find biodegradable & non biodegradable garbage dumped openly roadsides, sometimes getting contaminated with leaking water pipes, soil contamination and formation of leachgate – liquid that forms as water trickles through contaminated areas formation. Everyone wants to live and visit places that are clean, fresh and healthy. A city with poor sanitation, smelling like a rot and with waste matter all over the place do not attract people, investors and tourists but attracts diseases like Cholera, Typhoid, Swine flu to name a few. Go and see old vegetables market in Purani Mandi, visit famous Gole Market area where famous sweets, bakery & barbeque shops are located; you will be welcomed with a dumping yard and very stinky & rotting smell, but who cares? This is the situation in capital city and in smaller cities, towns & villages, things are in worst condition. Anuj Verma exhorted the youth to be ambassador of Cleanliness, which is our right and for which a big force of employees of local bodies get fatty salaries, to rise to the occasion and speak directly to the authorities about the bottleneck in and around their localities. Be aware about your civic rights and responsibilities. Anuj Verma made an appeal to the authorities to undertake job of creation of infrastructure of landfills and incinerator facilities as per GOI guidelines in all cities and towns of the state, on war footing.
Justice Kw. Y S Manhas informed that in an order, passed on 10th of July this year, bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta of Supreme Court of India said, “the Solid Waste Management Rules came into force on or about April 8, 2016. We are two years down the line, but we are shocked to know that more than two-third of the States/UTs in the country including Jammu and Kashmir have not yet complied with the basic requirement of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016,” the bench said. The bench expressed displeasure when it was informed that around 13 states and several union territories have not yet formulated their policy for solid waste management despite the court order. The court slapped a fine of Rs 100,000 each on Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Punjab, Lakshadweep and Puducherry for not filing the affidavit despite earlier directions. This is really a matter of shame for whole of our state.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir first notified a blanket ban on polythene carry bags in June 2008, under J & K Non-biodegradable Material (Management, Handling and Disposal) Act, 2007. In March 2016, ban on polythene bags having thickness above 50 micron was lifted and permitted for manufacturing and usage. Due to growing concern of environmental degradation by polythene, the government re-imposed blanket ban on below 50 micron thickness polythene carry bags in April 2017. High tourist influx over a prolonged time period has altered Jammu and Kashmir’s cleanliness scenario and the state’s lackluster performance in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan hasn’t helped. Waste generation has reached alarming proportions in Jammu and Kashmir, and the state generates more than 700 tonnes of solid waste daily, compounded by the absence of proper landfill sites and scientific disposal methods. Coming down heavily in favour of altering the present waste management scenario in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ordered a ban on polythene on April 4th.
The J&K High Court has asked the state government to take adequate measures to ensure that the ban is enforced. The move comes after waste became a major problem for the state, with reports emerging of waste mounds across prominent roads in Srinagar. The absence of landfills in major cities like Jammu and Srinagar has resulted in stray waste mounds in these two cities. It has been ten years since the first notification came into force in 2008 and, hence, it is important to understand whether the ban has been effective in controlling this menace. NO! Strange enough, plastic/ polythene bags are being imported, stored, sold and used openly under the nose of enforcement agencies. Perhaps the Jammu Municipal Corporation and J&K Pollution Control Board enforcement employees are so ignorant that they do not know that polythene bags are sold everywhere and in whole sale!
S. Prem Singh said that the Government will have to act tough upon all such erring big force of non performing enforcement staff of Jammu Municipal Corporation and J&K Pollution Control Board who are found in league with polythene bags vendors and also for any dereliction of duties in fully imposing the ban under their jurisdiction, as per directions of the state High Court. There should be provision of strict punitive actions including imprisonment, also. Bags made of maze, pea, vegetables oil and potatoes starch should be promoted with special incentives and subsidy on such industrial units. Special incentives and government subsidy for industrial units manufacturing jute and clothing, leather, hemp material bags.
Awards were distributed among three winners of debate competition namely Vaishali, Samparda Kak, Preeti Parihar and four consolation prizes were also distributed among other participants. Best anchoring award was presented to Meher Fatima. Mrs. Hemla Aggarwal presented vote of thanks and appreciated sincere efforts being put in by the trust. “We The Human” for ameliorating sufferings of mankind and trying to restore back eroded nature. She impressed upon need for sustainable development and growth of countries which will ensure survival of mankind in near future. Environmental friendly mementoes were presented to the dignitaries. (KNS)