Despite the ban on the use of polythene bags, which was imposed in 2012 because it was choking sewer lines and creating hazard for stray animals and polluting the environment as well, vendors and shopkeepers have been using the bags indiscriminately in the capital city.
While the officials are trying hard to make the river free from polythene by installing iron net on the bridge, there is no let-up in the use of the bags by the vendors. In a bid to get the reaction from Dehardun District Magistrate, who is responsible for keeping city clean from garbage because he is also holding the charge of Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) as well, The Pioneer tried to contact him but in vain.
Polythene bags are used rampantly by vegetable and fruit vendors. Heaps of garbage containing polythene can be seen everywhere, which becomes a breeding ground for insects and clogs the drains.
Under Section 5 of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, each State can exercise the delegated powers and can direct that no person including a shopkeeper, vendor, wholesaler or retailer, trader, hawker or rehriwala should use polythene / plastic carry bags for supply of goods and further directs that no person shall manufacture, store, import, sell or transport polythene/plastic bags in the State.
Polythene bags are non-biodegradable and take billions of years to decompose. Used polythene bags if thrown around, enter the water bodies thus posing a threat to marine life. The bulk of used polythene bags piles up on landfills and stays there literally forever because there is no effective way to decompose them. If plastic is burnt it releases toxic gases into the atmosphere which causes health problems in humans as well as in animals if inhaled.
The flooding in Mumbai in 2005 after a torrential rainfall was found to have been caused more by blocking of drains by plastic bags than the rainfall itself. There are a few methods available to dispose of plastic bags, but they are expensive and therefore, is not being used everywhere.