Dharamsal: Plastic waste spread in rural areas
Himachal Pradesh: Plastic waste has become a significant problem in the villages around Dharamshala due to the absence of solid waste management systems. Roads and hill slopes in these areas are littered with garbage, raising environmental concerns. The Dharamshala Municipal Corporation has implemented a door-to-door garbage collection system and installed dustbins, but areas outside the town remain neglected. Environmentalist Arun Sharma said that rural areas have seen a rise in waste due to the influx of tourists and an increase in the number of hotels and restaurants. Additionally, rural households are generating more waste, as most items now come in packaging. Despite rising waste levels, these areas lack proper disposal systems.
Some progress has been made by individual gram panchayats such as Aima, Jawalamukhi and Maranda, which have set up their own solid waste management plants. However, most rural and urban areas in Kangra district continue to struggle. Lack of designated dumping sites in many urban bodies is leading to indiscriminate disposal of waste in natural water streams, hills, forests and wastelands. The Kangra Municipal Council has a dumping site but does not segregate or treat the waste. Nearby villagers have protested against the untreated biodegradable waste, citing unbearable stench and poor living conditions.
Similarly, Nagrota Bagwan does not have a dumping site, leading to garbage piling up on roads, lanes and natural ravines. Dehra and Jawali also face similar challenges, with large-scale garbage heaps littering residential and public areas. Efforts to identify suitable dumping sites are facing resistance from villagers, who oppose garbage being dumped near their localities. Efforts to set up a cluster dumping site for several municipal councils have also failed due to lack of consensus on a suitable location. This growing waste management crisis requires urgent attention from the authorities to ensure the implementation of sustainable and inclusive solutions.
