An irrigation canal passing through Darbagh (Shopian district) and ZahidBagh (Pulwama district) has been turned into the dumping site and authorities are unmoved.
Locals told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that in 2014 floods a siphon bridge through which the water was reaching to agricultural fields got damaged and since then canal is without water.
In May 2020, a pipeline was laid through to divert water of the canal to river Ranbiara, however, pipes were so narrow that just few drops of water were passed through these pipes and it worked for just a few days.
The stagnant water and water of bathrooms thrown into by some locals is creating a lot of problems for passersby and there is no intervention from concerned authorities, said Gulzar Ahmad, a local resident.
He added that heaps of polythene, plastic paper and other medical wastes are being dumped inside the canal but no step is being taken in this regard.
Locals claimed that they had informed concerned authorities several times but they failed to do anything substantial in this regard.
The heaps of garbage and stagnant water poses a threat of communicable disease, said Altaf Ahmad, another local.
He added that some locals have been dumping their waste products in this canal and it has been turned into a dumping site besides that the banks of the canal are full of wild cannabis.
Locals requested higher ups to look into the matter so that they can heave a sigh of relief.
Officials said that the pipeline was laid only for emergency purposes and a mega project for the canal which will again connect canal with other parts to irrigate fields is in the pipeline and very soon work on it will be started.
They requested people not to through waste material in the canal as it will have hazardous results—(KNO)