Solan civic body seeks land for disposal of C&D waste

With no land being available for safe disposal of construction and demolition (C & D) waste in Solan city, the Municipal Corporation and other agencies are facing problems in the safe disposal of waste generated through various developmental works.

Earlier, civic body officials had identified land measuring 30,564m at Kather on the Solan-Shimla bypass for the dumping of debris in 2023. A request was made to the Deputy Commissioner of Solan to notify the said land for dumping muck and debris as massive landslides, flooding and sinking of land had damaged several buildings, leading to the generation of large quantities of waste.

Following the request, the DC had granted temporary permission to the MC to dump debris and muck on the land while ensuring that it was dumped in a scientific manner. The unscientific dumping of muck can trigger environmental concerns such as soil erosion and contamination of water bodies besides the disruption of natural habitats.

In the Shamti area as well, 132 houses were damaged after a 500m hill had eroded in 2023. These buildings had been partially or fully damaged and in a bid to repair them, a large chunk of waste was required to be safely disposed of.

With no other dumping yard available in the city, tonnes of debris was dumped on the said land since then.

Keeping in view its unscientific dumping, the temporary permission was withdrawn by the district administration last year, leaving the civic body in the lurch with no place to dispose of the waste. Mounds of muck were finding their way at various vacant lands in Kather much to the chagrin of dwellers.

Keeping in view this emerging problem, the civic body once again requested the district administration to provide them some land for the purpose as it was hitting the developmental works where excavation activities have to be

undertaken.

“Since the non-availability of a dumping yard is creating problems in the carrying out of developmental works, we have once again requested the DC to grant us adequate space to dump debris generated while carrying out excavation of the land. We will soon move a plea to transfer the said land to the MC,” said Solan MC Mayor Usha Sharma.

Keeping in view the damage caused to the environment by large-scale dumping of waste at Kather, the officials of the State Pollution Control Board had also served a notice to the authorities. It was found that an underlying water source was being affected by mounds of debris callously dumped there by all and sundry.

Himachal Tribune