Blatant violation of the waste disposal regulations has turned the banks of the Bhagirathi and Ganga rivers into dumping grounds for debris and waste material from ongoing construction works.
Such debris dumped along the banks of the Alaknanda are believed to have affected the course of the river and caused major damage at Srinagar in Pauri district last year, but despite this, the authorities do not appear to be bothered about preventing this dangerous violation of dumping norms.
Right from near the Gangotri shrine in Uttarkashi district, the waste material and earth materials excavated for Government and private constructions are being dumped on the banks of the Bhagirathi river.
This is a blatant violation of environmental norms and government orders which stipulate that waste and debris from constructions have to be dumped at sites identified for this purpose.
The main contributor to this practice is the construction of roads as huge amount of debris resulting from roadworks are dumped on the river banks instead of the marked dumping zones cited in the project report. Apart from creating a disaster risk by altering the course of the river, the practice of improper dumping is also proving detrimental to the forest wealth in the region.
The incidents of soil erosion have also increased manifold owing to the apathy of the authorities towards this serious violation. It will be recalled that last year, dumping of waste material and excavated earth material from a power project work was dumped along the Alaknanda river which had affected the course of the river and exacerbated the damage caused by a flood in the river.
This case was highlighted by the locals and activists, but the State authorities have not taken any effective measures to prevent such improper dumping despite the risk of disaster.