Srinagar’s lone garbage dump at Achan in Downtown is giving a tough time to residents of Old City due to emanation of unbearable pungent smell with rise in temperature. Achan garbage dump has come a long way from a wetland to wasteland, politics to bureaucratic hurdles in the last over four decades. Till 1985, garbage generated in Srinagar was dumped in open land at Noorbagh locality on the banks of river Jhelum.
Plastic in the garbage was used in brick kilns. Subsequently the Government transferred state land measuring 517 kanals at Syedpora Achan to Srinagar Municipal Corporation for dumping of city’s garbage vide government order No 102 of 1985. The Achan Land fill site started in 1986 with open dumping of solid waste.
With increase in generation of solid waste, Achan garbage dump operated in violation of environmental laws evoking massive outcry from residents. The aggrieved residents, who faced health hazards due to open dumping of garbage, took to streets and launched an agitation. They prevented entry of garbage-laden trucks in the garbage dump.
Besides teaming garbage, especially leachate inflow into Anchar lake posed serious threat to its flora and fauna. After facing massive outcry, the then Government finally decided to convert the open dumping site into the Sanitary Landfill Site in tune with regulations. The project was allotted to Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (JKERA) in 2008.
Initially JKERA too faced massive challenges to start the proje.