Image: Himdhara
In response to the haphazard dumping of plastic garbage in 70 sites around the state, the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has directed the Departments of Urban Development, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development to take the necessary actions for the scientific solid waste disposal.
Sanjay Gupta, the chairman of the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, released a statement that Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) and Jal Shakti Vibhag were not adhering to the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) defined parameters for Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). This oversight caused a diarrhea outbreak in the Hamirpur district, affecting over 1,200 people.
Due to this, the Nadaun sub-division of Hamirpur district in HP suffered from a water-borne disease outbreak due to contaminated water. Even Shimla residents are also on the radar for a similar outbreak due to poorly managed sewage treatment plants in the city.
Image: The News Himachal
Furthermore, the PCB observed around 1,90,796 tonnes of garbage near urban local bodies in Mandi, Dharmshala, Solan, Kullu, Manali, Baddi, Bilaspur, Santokhgarh, Chowari, Una, Baijnath, Rewalsar, Dalhousie, Hamirpur, and Sarkaghat. It has caused constant worry about water contamination in other regions in Himachal.
Acting on these rising concerns of water pollution and poor solid waste management in the state, the Pollution Control Board has so far given the concerned department instructions to manage the improper operation of non-complying sewage treatment plants. Meanwhile, the concerned departments have to speed up the process of modification, expansion, upgradation, and construction of sewage treatment plants to close the gap in sewage treatment on a priority basis.
Image: The Wire
The 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules must be properly followed, according to a statement from the Pollution Board to the Urban and Rural Development departments. Moreover, the National Green Tribunal will keep an eye on how the state’s solid waste management program works henceforth. Hopefully, the strict measures would improve the current situation without adversely impacting the lives of the state residents and the environment.