SRINAGAR: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has admitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the Achan landfill continues to suffer from serious deficiencies, including dumping of around 500 metric tonnes of waste every day, accumulation of legacy waste, and years of inadequate waste processing, while assuring the Tribunal that all major solid waste management projects will be completed by March 2027.
The disclosures have been made in an affidavit filed by the Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, before the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal in Original Application No. 543/2024, filed by environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat.
The affidavit responds to observations made by the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (J&KPCC) during an inspection of the Achan landfill and outlines a time-bound action plan for scientific waste management.
According to the affidavit, the latest inspection report submitted by the J&KPCC on July 16, 2025, found that two of the three waste cells at the Achan landfill remained uncapped and that nearly 500 metric tonnes of municipal waste are being dumped daily at the site.
The inspection also recorded that no segregation activity was taking place during the visit. The Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) meant for treatment of leachate was found non-functional, while the waste segregation machinery was also lying idle.
The Pollution Control Committee further observed that around 30 rag pickers were manually extracting recyclable material such as plastic and aluminium cans from the landfill. According to the inspection report, each rag picker was collecting nearly 30 kilograms of recyclable waste every day. The report also noted that although construction of an extension to the segregation shed had been completed, no functional machinery had been installed and the legacy waste continued to accumulate.
The affidavit states that the NGT, while hearing the matter on July 18, 2025, granted the Srinagar Municipal Corporation four weeks to respond to the findings of the Pollution Control Committee as well as additional material placed before the Tribunal by the petitioner.
In its response, the Corporation has accepted the Tribunal’s observations and presented what it describes as a comprehensive corrective action plan.
SMC informed the Tribunal that bio-mining of legacy waste has commenced under an awarded contract. It has set a target of processing five lakh metric tonnes of accumulated legacy waste by December 2026, followed by complete remediation and reclamation of the landfill by September 2027.
The Corporation also claimed that segregation work has resumed through a 100-tonne-per-day Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at Achan, where log books are now being maintained for incoming waste and recyclable recovery. It said additional machinery is being installed and the expanded MRF is expected to become fully operational by December 2026.
Addressing concerns over leachate management, the affidavit states that the previously non-functional Effluent Treatment Plant has now been upgraded and made operational with supplementary bio-enzymatic treatment systems. Continuous monitoring of leachate quality is also being undertaken, it said.
To deal with the issue of informal waste pickers, the Corporation informed the Tribunal that a survey of rag pickers has been completed under the CITIIS 2.0 programme and that they are proposed to be integrated into organised Material Recovery Facility operations with safety measures and livelihood support.
One of the biggest projects planned by the Corporation is an 800-tonne-per-day Integrated Solid Waste Management project, which will include refuse-derived fuel production, compressed biogas generation, expansion of waste recovery facilities and scientific remediation of the landfill.
According to the affidavit, the Detailed Project Report has already been vetted by the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, and a Cabinet note seeking administrative approval has been submitted to the Government.
The Corporation has committed before the Tribunal that 100 per cent scientific waste processing will be achieved by March 2027, bringing an end to unscientific dumping at Achan.
The affidavit also outlines several parallel initiatives. Construction has started on a 125-tonne-per-day Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste processing facility, which is expected to become operational during the current financial year. Around 3,200 trees have already been planted around the landfill as part of buffer zone development, with another 10,000 plantations planned before March 2027.
SMC also said anti-odour sprays, bio-enzymes, fumigation and water sprinkling are being carried out regularly to reduce dust and foul smell, while quarterly review meetings are being held with regulatory agencies. A real-time monitoring dashboard is also under development.
The Corporation admitted that the failure of its earlier Waste-to-Energy project had adversely affected Srinagar’s waste management programme but maintained that alternative technologies being implemented under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 and CITIIS 2.0 would help the city overcome the setback.
In its concluding submission before the Tribunal, the Corporation reiterated its commitment to complete all ongoing waste management projects by March 2027, achieve 100 per cent scientific processing of municipal solid waste, permanently stop unscientific dumping at Achan and restore the landfill site in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
