Aafrin Kidwai 
Representative image of waste dumped on a street; Picture Credit: Aafrin Kidwai
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed its unhappiness with solid waste management in Guwahati.
The NGT panel said that despite long-term supervision, no adequate progress has been made so far.
The NGT order came in response to an application filed by activist Rohit Chowdhary in 2014, alleging that actions in violation of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 (now MSW Rules, 2016) and the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 had resulted in the degradation of the Deepor Beel wetlands near Guwahati (now Wetland Rules, 2017).
In his plea, Chowdhury claimed that the flow of untreated sewage from the now-defunct dumping site at Pachim Boragaon, as well as commercial exploitation of the area surrounding Deepor Beel, has resulted in migratory bird decline and fishing activity disruption.
In a recent affidavit submitted with the NGT, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) detailed the current condition of legacy garbage management. Over 2 lakh MT (metric tonne) of legacy waste from the Pachim Boragaon site has been processed, according to the corporation. The Assam government has granted Rs 172.5 crore for biomining at the site.
