SRINAGAR: “Before making Srinagar a smart city, can it be made stench-free and liveable?” — This was the pointed question raised by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, the chief cleric of Kashmir, as he highlighted the growing health and environmental crisis around the Achan garbage dumping site in Srinagar.
Pic: Bilal Bahadur
Taking to social media, Mirwaiz expressed deep concern over the unbearable stench and worsening living conditions in areas surrounding the Achan landfill. He said the crisis has escalated to the point where even people living far from the site — including himself — are experiencing the foul odour, particularly during the evenings.
According to data shared with him by RTI activist Raja Muzaffar, the site contains over 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, with an additional 550 tonnes being dumped there daily. Residents in the vicinity are reportedly suffering from a spike in respiratory issues, skin infections, and overall deteriorating health, symptoms that local mohalla committees describe as signs of a “full-blown public health emergency.”
Mirwaiz revealed that distressed citizens and local representatives recently met him and urged him to raise the matter from the pulpit of Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid. “Inshallah, I will raise it this coming Friday,” he said, adding that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is already fully aware of the crisis but has failed to take meaningful action.
The spiritual leader’s intervention comes at a time when Srinagar’s civic administration continues to push its “Smart City” transformation agenda. Mirwaiz’s criticism centres on the contradiction between the city’s branding and the lived reality of many of its residents. “It’s time,” he said, “to focus on making Srinagar genuinely liveable before dressing it up as smart.”
