Kedarnath Dham: Kedarnath Dham is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage site located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state, dedicated to Lord Shiva. This Dham is a major site of Char Dham Yatra and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India.
Hardly anyone would have forgotten the horrific scene of 2013 in Kedarnath Dham. The disaster of 2013 had engulfed everyone present there. Many disasters have occurred in Kedarnath Dham even before this.
The reason for all these disasters is tampering with nature. Due to the negligence of the administration or the people, such incidents keep happening every year in Kedar Ghati. This year too, cloudburst disaster was seen at the end of July 2024.
A case of negligence of administration has come to light in Kedarnath Dham, one of the Char Dham. An RTI has revealed that several tonnes of untreated garbage is being dumped in the pits around the Dham.
Dumping of garbage in this sensitive area has increased the concern among environment lovers. An environmentalist from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, told from the information received under RTI that between 2022 and 2024, a total of 49.18 tonnes of untreated waste has been dumped in two pits near the temple in Kedarnath Dham.
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Garbage is increasing year after year
According to the information received from RTI, a continuous increase in the amount of garbage has been seen during this period. 13.20 tonnes of waste has been generated in 2022, 18.48 tonnes in 2023 and 17.50 tonnes of waste so far this year. During this period, 23.30 tonnes of inorganic waste was also generated.
On questioning RTI activist Amit Gupta, the Public Information Officer of Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat said that all this waste has been recycled.
Gupta said that the information received from RTI regarding the generation of garbage and its being left untreated is shocking. This makes it clear that there is no system for waste management there.
Prime Minister had raised the issue
Gupta said that Kedarnath temple is situated at an altitude of 12,000 feet, where there are glaciers also. This area is sensitive from environmental point of view.
This problem was also raised by the Prime Minister in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program, but the authorities have not taken any concrete steps to prevent plastic waste.
The pits near the temple are almost filled, and if this continues, the possibility of a tragedy like 2013 cannot be ruled out.
He told that in the response to RTI it has been said that during this period the waste was disposed of in an irresponsible manner, but the administration did not register any complaint on this nor took any action. (Kedarnath Dham)
The RTI activist said that for the last two years, he himself has been writing letters to the authorities and filing complaints in this matter.
He has also complained about this to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). After the complaint, Ganga Mission had instructed Rudraprayag administration to take action on this.