Garbage from the city is being dumped on the banks of the Alaknanda river by the Srinagar municipal board. Such illegal dumping of garbage is not only contaminating the river but also posing a grave public health risk as water from this river is supplied to people in Srinagar, Pauri and surrounding villages.
There are four municipal boards in Pauri district including Kotdwar, Srinagar, Pauri and Dugadda municipal boards. The Srinagar municipal board is not short of funds or resources but has not facilitated scientific disposal of garbage. Both the Srinagar and Pauri municipal boards have facilitated door to door collection of garbage but this is seen strewn around in these two towns.
The citizens complain that both the district administration and the municipal boards are apathetic towards proper waste disposal, public health and prevention of environmental contamination. local resident Virendra Kashyap said that while people are calling for keeping the Alaknanda clean the municipal board is dumping garbage on its banks.
Social worker Bhagwan Verma said that no municipal board in the district had come forward to establish treatment plant for ensuring scientific disposal of garbage.