SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
JAMMU, Jan 15
Despite its aspirations of becoming a smart and clean city echoing with slogans of cleanliness and health, Jammu once again finds itself trailing in the Swachh Survekshan 2023 rankings. The city, with a population exceeding one lakh, secured the 248th position in the results declared recently. This is a decline from its 199th position in the Swachh Survekshan 2022 rankings. In contrast, Srinagar retained the 234th position in the same category.
As per the report released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Jammu Municipal Corporation slid 49 places from the previous year’s standings while there have been improvements in the city’s sanitation infrastructure, the challenges of waste generation and its scientific disposal remain unresolved, hindering Jammu from advancing in the cleanliness rankings.
Jammu’s municipal authorities have implemented measures to bolster the city’s waste management system. However, the magnitude of waste generation, coupled with the lack of an effective scientific disposal mechanism, has hampered the city’s efforts to secure a higher position in the Swachh Survekshan rankings. The waste disposal challenges have persisted despite the initiation of the Solid Waste Management project.
Despite ongoing efforts, around 450 metric tons of waste are manually deposited outside the city in Kot Bhalwal, where it is buried in the ground. The current method involves digging pits and burying the waste. However, the initiation of the Solid Waste Management project is expected to bring about a systematic waste disposal mechanism throughout the year.
As Jammu aspires to become a smart city, it becomes imperative for municipal authorities to address these waste management challenges strategically. By implementing effective and sustainable solutions for waste disposal, the city can not only enhance its cleanliness quotient but also make significant strides in the national Swachh Survekshan rankings. This situation emphasizes the need for a concerted effort to strike a balance between infrastructural development and waste management to ensure a cleaner and healthier future for Jammu.
