The foul smell coming out of Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) dumping site in Achan has turned out to be a nuisance for the general public living in the vicinity of the site. While the smell used to affect only the nearby areas until a few years ago, the same is now affecting the people within at least a 5 km radius.
The people living in the area have always remained up in arms against the SMC for not doing enough for preventing the garbage from creating a foul smell which literally makes breathing a laborious job and has even turned out to be a source of several diseases in the area. The people also believe that the stench is turning the people living in the area patients for which they state the officials of the SMC are responsible.
Time and again the issue of the people living near the dumping site has been highlighted by a section of media; however, there is no substantial change on the ground as the issue of smell remains as it is.
There has been a growing demand from people seeking relocation of the dumping site to the city outskirts; however, the same demand has been trashed by the SMC stating that it is the only site they can utilize. Having said so, the SMC, while we understand its constraints, needs to take care of the garbage in a scientific manner so that it does not make the life of people living near the site hell. There has to be a way out that needs to be pursued.
