Flora and fauna along the Kameng River near Seppa in Arunachal Pradesh were in danger as a large amount of solid waste was being dumped into the river.
In a video that went viral on the social media, trucks belonging to the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) were seen offloading large amount of wastes into the river near Nicham Sonam bridge in Seppa, the district headquarters of East Kameng district.
Reacting to a complaint by NGO Youth Mission for Clean River — Arunachal Pradesh (YMfCR-AP), the deputy commissioner of East Kameng district on Thursday passed a preventive order asking the DUDA to immediately stop dumping garbage into the river.
“It has been reported to me that DUDA is dumping solid waste/garbage of the Town area in the Kameng river, and whereas you have been instructed a number of times in writing as well as orally to stop dumping in the river…I, Deputy Commissioner of East Kameng district under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure hereby direct you to not dump garbage in the river with immediate effect,” Deputy Commissioner Gaurav Singh Rajawat wrote in the order dated April 18.
In the complaint, the Youth Mission for Clean River informed that DUDA was the implementing agency of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
“DUDA has been collecting garbage door to door ever since the start of Swachh Bharat Mission and dumping them into the Kameng,” Prem Taba, a research scholar at Rajiv Gandhi University said.
“DUDA is implementing Swachh Bharat Mission, which was received very well by the people in Seppa. They realised the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. However, DUDA did not know how to dispose off the waste. When we contacted them last year, they said they did not have a waste treatment plant or landfill to dispose off the waste,” said Taba, who is also a member of YMfCR-AP.
