Srinagar, Dec 04 (KNO): Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Gramin segregation sheds across Sopore area in North Kashmir have become overflowing garbage dumps.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) the mixed waste is rotting in open as no mechanism is in place to dispose it, nor any place has been designated as landfill site, turning village sanitation assets into health hazards.
While, urban Sopore relies on Baramulla Municipal Council's facility at Jetty Khawajabagh for disposal, however, rural areas lack any comparable arrangement, pushing garbage onto roadsides, lawns and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) infrastructure.
An RDD Sopore official, while admitting their two hoopers remain idle, told KNO that they are unable to collect village waste without an approved dumping site, leaving SBM sheds—built for source segregation, filled with unsegregated refuse from households.
In multiple panchayats, plastics, organics and diapers pile up around these structures, spilling into roads and streams, as panchayat secretaries and Swachhagrahis handle only sporadic clearances without final disposal clarity.
Residents report sheds overflowing for weeks, attract stray animals and contaminate nearby water sources in Baramulla's Sopore block.
Villagers accuse departments of inaction, noting biodegradable waste sometimes composts informally or feeds cattle, while plastics are sold to vendors.
Officials claimed that panchayat staff lifts the waste periodically, but they did not provide the details on where loads end up post-collection.
The same crisis has gripped rural panchayats in Baramulla district, where SBM-Gramin segregation sheds have morphed into overflowing dumpsites due to the complete absence of designated landfills or processing facilities—(KNO)