GROUND SCENARIO OF ILLEGAL LANDFILLING AT GOKARNA
Gram Panchayat is using since many years, without permission, the SY No 1492 land of Forest Department, for dumping and burning all types of garbage.
- Since several years that the local Health Officer has notified local governors on the dangerous issues for local families created by the permanent burning of the waste there. [1. reference available]
- The 14 December 2022, following a complaint of Raju Mastihalla, the landfill used since many years by Gokarna Gram Panchayat to dump and burn its mixed waste, was inspected by the then Executive Officer who, after assessing the situation ensured to provide immediate solution.
Elected members and GP Officers were present. The press deeply covered the event [2. reference available]
- And thus, the persistent intervention of several groups and locals, has disrupted the dumping and burning procedure there for a short time, for a very short time [3. references available]
- Next, after a while, the existing legacy waste was persistently burnt, and it was afterwards entirely mixed up with the soil by JCB. [4. visual depiction available]
- The dumping and burning of mixed waste performed by Gram Panchayat has restarted at the adjacent area of the under construction sanctioned unit for Faecal Sludge. [5. profuse visual depiction available]
The 14 February 2023, KP requested to Forest Dept. a comprehensive inspection and survey of the use of the land by Gram Panchayat to dump and burn all sorts of mixed waste, specifically
- the current sets of the place
- the bio-remediation or capping of the dump site as per norms to avoid environmental damage [6. DOC available]
The 1st of April 2023, the Forest Dept. inspected the site finding that the conditions for GP use of the land were not respected and proper direction for appropriate action was given to Gram Panchayat President and PDO. [7. DOC available]
The 7 December 2023, regarding the granted approval for the Construction of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant, as despite the strict conditions [8. DOC a) & b) available] for not use it as a dumping yard, it was openly witnessed its use for dumping and burning waste, in view of this, KP requested again to the Principle Chief Conservator of Forests an updated inspection of the place, and the certification that the permission assigned is also for a Solid Waste Disposal Unit [9. DOC available]. Report on the requested inspection was not received.
Regardless of these factual events the immediate sanitation of the place is an urgent must, and the Guidelines for disposal of legacy waste should have been strictly compelled long back. [10. DOC available].
To go further, it is crucial to understand why Gokarna, the biggest producer of waste on the coast, does not need a sanitary landfill?
Actually, back in 2018, Gram Panchayat submitted to Forest Department application for allotment of Forestland to build Solid Waste Unit & Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant [Proposal No. FP/KA/Others/36295/2018], but so far it did not apply for assignment of land for sanitary landfill. Why?
Knowing the local waste mismanagement settings backed on the huge amount waste generated by locals and visitors (e. g., mixture of all types of wastes at source and at collection, persistent dumping and burning of waste by Gram Panchayat and public), all supported by the privilege of not abiding with the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, on the broad violation of all Waste Management Rules and SWM Byelaws, sanctioned by local bodies (GP, TP, ZP, Tahashildar, AC, CEO, DC), It is indeed easy to understand that the dream of ZERO WASTE is locally impossible to take any kind of shape.
Now, within this scenario, the inevitable question is: knowing the situation since one year, which steps were taken and can be taken from our CEO side, to manage and remediate the final disposal of waste at Gokarna?
19 February 2024
