Aafrin Kidwai 
Sharda Sagar Dam, Uttarakhand
The Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) has filed its report with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on a waste disposal dump yard set up on the bank of the Khoh river in Ratanpur village of Kotdwar district in Uttarakhand.
The waste collected from Kotdwar Nagar Nigam was disposed at Paniyali Talli in Ratanpur, the report noted. The site was not developed scientifically and collected biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes were being dumped at the site, being used by the Nagar Nigam since 2008, it added. Moreover, the possibility of leachate from the dump site seeping into the river during rain was evident.
The UEPPCB had asked the municipality to immediately stop illegal dumping of solid wastes on the river bank and ensure cleaning of all dumped waste from the dump site at the earliest. The Nagar Nigam was also asked to establish a solid waste processing and disposal facility in accordance of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 at the earliest.
