Srinagar, April 08 (KNO): A year after authorities assured the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that legacy waste along the Poonch River would be cleared, a fresh affidavit has exposed what appears to be continued dumping, administrative lapses, and ongoing environmental damage in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district.
In a strongly worded submission before the National Green Tribunal, environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat alleged that authorities have failed to honour their commitment to remove legacy waste from the riverbanks.
The affidavit, accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), cites fresh evidence indicating continued dumping and possible deliberate pollution.
The affidavit, filed in Original Application No. 253 of 2023, relates to the illegal disposal of solid and bio-medical waste along a key stretch of the Poonch River—from Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge to the Belar Nala confluence.
The National Green Tribunal had taken cognisance of the issue in April 2023, and during subsequent proceedings, the Municipal Council Poonch assured that all legacy waste would be remediated by August 2025. That assurance now appears to have fallen through.
According to the latest affidavit, ground photographs dated April 1, 2026, reveal that not only has the old waste remained uncleared, but fresh dumping of mixed waste continues unabated at the site.
In what could amount to a serious environmental violation, the applicant has alleged that heavy machinery is being used to push waste directly into the river — a move described as a deliberate attempt to reduce visible garbage along the banks while worsening pollution in the river.
“This is not mere negligence but a systematic failure,” the affidavit states, adding that similar practices had earlier been flagged before the National Green Tribunal without any corrective action on the ground.
The document further states that authorities have failed to implement any meaningful remediation measures, even as the risk of “irreversible environmental damage” looms large. It warns of serious public health consequences if contamination of river water continues unchecked.
The annexed photographic evidence paints a grim picture — sprawling heaps of garbage choking riverbanks, decomposing carcasses, and waste lying dangerously close to flowing water, underscoring the scale of inaction. Seeking urgent intervention, the applicant has urged the National Green Tribunal to order the immediate removal of waste and enforce accountability to prevent further ecological degradation in the region—(KNO)