With theme for this year’s World Environment Day the focus remains on “Beat Plastic Pollution” the increasing threat of plastic pollution are being debated and discussed about restrictions on single use plastic in Jammu & Kashmir like several states and union territories of the country. The threats of plastic pollution are so huge in Jammu & Kashmir that it is not only the time of debating the threats of plastic pollution but it is the time to seek action against the use of plastic cutlery items, sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, and PVC banners freely available markets across Jammu & Kashmir. Unfortunately huge contradiction in the words and actions of the municipal corporations of the twin capital cities-Srinagar and Jammu and major towns of both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division has been noticed in recent year. The onus of curbing single use plastic does not lie only on the municipal bodies of cities and towns but also the panchayat bodies which are part of well established three tier panchayat system in Jammu & Kashmir and are likely to complete five year term towards the end of this year. Unfortunately the single use plastic has spread even in the remotest of the remote rural areas of Jammu & Kashmir where panchayat bodies could have more intensely checked and curbed fast growing plastic pollution. Since the plastic cutlery items are more intensely used in marriage ceremonies and restaurants in Kashmir Valley during peak summer months, hundreds of tones of plastic waste used daily in cities, towns and villages remain uncollected due to increasing negligence by the municipal and panchayat bodies across Jammu & Kashmir. Civic bodies not clearing plastic waste even during the mid tourist season from both the residential areas and as well as commercial hubs in summer capital Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir valley besides village panchayats are as such responsible for increasing intensity of unprecedented rise in the spread of plastic pollution across Jammu & Kashmir. In fact restrictions on single used plastic even if imposed forcefully won’t work well unless and until the civic bodies in both rural and urban parts of Jammu & Kashmir and also panchayat bodies in villages don’t vigorously carry out plastic waste clearance drives with the active cooperation and coordination of both the people and as well as the civil society groups. While people use plastic bags for their own conveniences, not only the local populations of Jammu and Kashmir but tourists also bear the brunt of plastic pollution in both rural areas and as well as urban centres of Jammu & Kashmir.
“Challenge is not just reduced to clearing of plastic waste in cities, towns and villages across Jammu & Kashmir but equally bigger challenge is to restrict and disallow the entry of plastic bags into Jammu & Kashmir from most of the neigbouring states and union territories”.
While the disposal of the plastic waste is comparatively managed well in twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu, the plastic pollution is increasing fast in towns and villages due to increasing negligence of both municipal and as well as panchayat bodies in collection and disposal of plastic waste. Unprecedented rise in plastic pollution necessitates actions for the purposes of establishing a workable system for collection and disposal of plastic waste in towns and villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Presently there is urgency for establishing a prompt system for lifting of the waste and it’s disposal in a given time frame in towns and villages across Jammu & Kashmir. Care has to be taken that plastic waste is not washed down into streams and rivers and enters the Jhelum in Kashmir valley and similarly the authorities in Jammu have to ensure that waste dumped along banks of river Tawi is cleared before rains wash it away into streams and river Tawi. Challenge is not just reduced to clearing of plastic waste in cities, towns and villages across Jammu & Kashmir but equally bigger challenge is to restrict and disallow the entry of plastic bags into Jammu & Kashmir from most of the neigbouring states and union territories.
