Achan stinks, Govt winks

Srinagar, Sep 22: Mountains of garbage at the Achan dumping site in Srinagar rival the mountain ranges visible from the area.

The mammoth environmental hazard is causing chronic illnesses among children, while its persistent foul odours repel residents and commuters for kilometers.

The constant influx of waste trucks exacerbates the misery of people who call the vicinity their home, in the absence of being able to afford a home anywhere else.

Shazia (name changed) lives in her one-room set at Syedpora, Achan.

She moved to the area three years ago, purchasing 3 marlas of land and constructing her dream home.

“I lived on rent with my two children. This small place was all I had wanted, but it has turned into a nightmare,” she said, closing the window panes of her living-cum-bed room.

“The stench makes life unbearable. We have been socially boycotted by our relatives. My kids and I have constant headaches,” she said.

Shazia said she could not afford a home in any other Srinagar locality.

“We were told this garbage will be moved and treated, and the foul odour will go away,” she said.

Like her, many other residents have lived in the hope that one day they would be able to breathe air that does not smell.

Nearby, Abdul Rasheed, a labourer by profession, was calling a relative to fix an appointment with a doctor for his one-year-old child.

“She is never well. Intestinal infections and chest infections have caused her to weaken, while her mother is also suffering from frequent infections,” he said.

Rasheed said the only people who visited the families to ask about the issues they face over the past years have been journalists.

“It seems no one else cares about our suffering, the health of our families, and the promises made to us,” he said.

The site was established in 1985 and now holds over 11 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) and environmental watchdogs have been calling for remediation plans, while delays in formulating an action plan in the past by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) have resulted in continued health hazards.

Communities surrounding the Achan landfill have a daily struggle with reduced air quality from methane emissions and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the tonnes of garbage.

At the site, one can see a truck loaded with waste entering almost every minute.

According to reports, 540-550 tonnes of solid waste are dumped daily.

The Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have voiced concerns about long-term health hazards to the entire area if left unaddressed.

In March 2025, the NGT imposed a Rs 12 crore fine on the SMC for over 1800 days of violations under solid waste management norms from April 2020 to March 2025.

The tribunal ordered SMC to clear 11.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste within two years, set to end in March 2027.

Earlier, the NGT-appointed teams, following inspections, slammed the SMC for “hazardous” practices and pointed out improper waste processing and lack of anti-odour measures. In July this year, NGT referenced the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

Achan was a migratory bird habitat, and has now turned into a flocking site for scavengers – dogs, rats, and birds.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, SMC Commissioner, Faz Lul Haseeb, said that a detailed plan for addressing the issue had been formulated.

“The waste remediation is being rolled out, and we are quite hopeful of addressing the problem successfully and in a scientific manner by March 2027,” he said.

A government official said that legacy waste would be treated with bio-mining and machinery like material recovery facilities (MRFs) and segregators.

“Degradable waste will be turned into bio-usable material while recyclable waste will be outsourced,” he said.