The dump that devoured a wetland

In Srinagar's Syedabad Colony, families have dinner with windows closed firmly. The pungent odor of a rubbish mountain nearby pervades curtains and fans, making daily life a struggle against bad air. The Achan dump, formerly a wetland ecosystem, bordering Anchar lake has, since 1986, become Kashmir's biggest tip — a 123-acre dump that is now home to over a million tonnes of untreated rubbish, swarming with flies, sticky with leachate, and topped by wheeling crows.

Locals remember bygone days. Until the early 1990s, the land was wetlands and farmland with paddy being grown here for centuries. Today, residents of Soura, Nowshahra, Hawal, and Eidgah claim that the smell is intolerable, particularly during summer or after rain when the smell is overpowering. 

“My lungs are damaged,” he says. “My children are never well. Most of our earnings go into buying medicines.” Others echo the same despair. “We have stopped sitting outdoors, and inviting guests, too, has become awkward,” says Fayaz Ahmad. "Most families desire to move out, but nobody is ready to purchase houses within the area." The locals also mention stigma as marriage proposals are turned down as individuals do not want to be identified with "the colony next to the dump".

Toxic leachate endangers Srinagar's wetlands

The Anchan waste management facility processes almost 550 tonnes of Srinagar's waste daily. Landfills are the cheapest and most common form of waste disposal in much of the globe. But in most developing countries, including India, careless disposal causes dangerous leachate — a noxious, foul-smelling fluid — to contaminate soil and water. This is already threatening Anchar lake, Khushal sar, Gil sar, and even the Shallabugh wetland, a Ramsar site intended to be preserved under the global convention.

A National Green Tribunal report reported the treatment plant for leachate at Achan as "non-functional" with poisonous discharge entering Anchar Lake.

A silent health emergency

Research also identifies poor segregation of waste, inadequate and untrained staff, as well as poor equipment for efficient compaction and soil covering as factors in impeding effective management. A study in 2022 validated high methane gas levels at the Achan landfill site, with health experts cautioning that exposure to landfill gases for a long period can have severe health risks.

Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili, a surgeon and health policy analyst, terms Achan landfill a "silent health emergency" and states residents from within a five-kilometre radius are experiencing alarming incidents of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and respiratory distress at night.

As a member of the Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), Dr. Fazili had made a detailed representation to the J&K Legislative Assembly House Committee on Environment in July. Based on more than 25 papers and expert reports, the GCC pointed out that methane concentrations at Achan are almost 14% of those gases measured at the landfill, and hydrogen sulfide violates 20 parts per million (ppm) — twice the risk threshold. This reflects a significant danger of respiratory disease for nearby residents.

Forty percent of respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions at SMHS Hospital are from those living in the vicinity of Achan," Dr. Fazili further adds. "Children in the area are exhibiting 400% more cases of asthma."  He further states that poisonous fumes from the facility are responsible for increasing cases of cancer, infertility, respiratory disease, and allergies. "The waste pickers and municipal corporation workers are also experiencing skin lesions and chronic lung injury.