The biggest hurdle today is waste disposal. Countries all around the world are taking measures to dispose muck in the correct way. One such state Uttarakhand, India, has experienced flash floods due to illegal and unscientific disposal of debris into the river which led to the change in the course of the river and hence the loss of lives. Therefore the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday has stayed all construction activities on the river banks, till agencies concerned locate muck disposal sites 500 meters away from river banks.
In- spite the orders of the National Green Tribunal, the agencies followed the easier, cheaper and low cost of transport method of disposal, which is dumping debris directly into the river rather than at the disposed site which were already sanctioned by the authorities. A bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Lok Pal Singh passed directions for the disposal of debris.
The bench on Monday passed the following “mandatory” directions:
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, Uttarakhand Environment Protection & Pollution Control Board and Revenue Agencies are to identify muck disposal sites 500mtrs away from the river bank within 3weeks, until which all construction will come to a halt.
- The District Magistrates throughout the State of Uttarakhand are to ensure that no muck, debris or excavated material is to be dumped directly into the rivers by any source at all.
- The state government is further directed to ensure that in the environment clearance including forest clearance, provision is made for providing muck disposal sites in all the existing and new projects coming up on the river banks.
- The state government is to take action and coercive steps against the persons including companies, government authorities, involved in the dumping of muck/excavating material into the rivers directly in an indiscriminate manner, forthwith.
Mining, river bed level increase, pollution are just few reasons among many more which are leading to the depletion of water. It is just at the tip of the iceberg, leading to a greater disaster.
Courtesy/By: Manav Chordia
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16 Jun 2018
