Sudher residents bear brunt of Dharamsala’s legacy waste
Though Dharamsala’s door-to-door garbage collection system has been lauded for effective waste segregation at source, a grim reality lurks just a few kilometres away in the forested hills near Sudher village. The waste collected from both residential and commercial establishments is being indiscriminately dumped in this ecologically sensitive area, forming massive mounds of untreated legacy waste over the years.
The unmanaged landfill has become a ticking time bomb for public health and the environment. The leachate — a toxic liquid formed from decomposing waste —flows unchecked from the landfill into a nearby rivulet, water from which is used by local farmers for irrigation. Residents of Sudher claim that this contamination has been affecting their health and livelihood for years.
Anuradha, a resident and a member of the block development committee, alleged that they have been forced to use polluted water from the rivulet to irrigate their fields. “Almost all residents living below the landfill site are facing health issues. I have been suffering from skin allergies for the past 4–5 years,” she said.
Locals Om Parkash and Anil Kumar, also shared their ordeal. They said for most time of the year, they were forced to endure unbearable stench emanating from the landfill.
Abhishek Kumar, another resident, added, “Birds pick up garbage, including meat and bone waste, from the dump and scatter it in our fields. It’s a daily nuisance.”
When contacted, Neenu Sharma, Mayor of Dharamsala Municipal Corporation, stated that the state government had engaged a private firm to dispose of the legacy waste and the work was underway. “We hope the legacy waste will be cleared in coming months,” she added.
According to official data provided by the Municipal Corporation, there is approximately 81,000 metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste, of which 56,000 MT has been processed, and 8,287 MT of Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) has been sent to a cement factory. Besides, 25 tonnes waste daily comes to the landfill, which was also being dumped into the landfill.
However, environmentalists and residents dispute these figures. Atul Bhardwaj, a local RTI activist and environmentalist, alleged that more than 1 lakh MT of legacy waste still remains at the site. “Thousands of tonnes of fresh waste continue to be dumped regularly on the landfill in the forest area,” he said.
He claimed that the MC has failed in its responsibility to clear the site, posing a severe threat to the region’s biodiversity as well as the health of communities residing nearby.
Local MLA Sudhir Sharma alleged that the MC authorities have failed to clear the landfill from forest land. “The Forest Department, State Pollution Control Board and Local Bodies Department have all failed to address the problem, which is posing a threat the environment and health of people,” he said.
The local have urged the MC and district administration to take urgent and concrete action, warning that further delay could worsen the environmental and health crisis.
Himachal Tribune