Activist urges Assam Chief Secy to relocate Bokakhat dumping site, cites SC ruling

Guwahati, Nov 3: Environment activist Rohit Choudhury has requested the State's Chief Secretary to use his good office for shifting the Latabari dumping site of the Bokakhat Municipal Board (BMB) from its present location to a place that complies with the statutory provisions. In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Choudhury referred to the 'public trust' doctrine enunciated by the Supreme Court of India in the 1997 MC Mehta Vs Kamal Nath and Others case and asserted that the State as the custodian of the natural resources has a duty to maintain them.

He alleged that contrary to the legal provisions, the Latabari dumping site is used to discard even the bio-medical wastes, despite the fact that it is located within the flood plains of the Difloo river and the eco-sensitive zone of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNP & TR). Its distance from the national highway is around 200 metres. There are several villages located almost at the same distance from it. Besides, it is adjacent to a cremation ground and a Smashan Kali temple, he said.

Dumping municipal solid waste alone at the site is a sheer violation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016. It has come to light that the municipal board has not obtained any permission from the Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) for the purpose, he alleged.

The Difloo river has its origin in the hills of Karbi Anglong and it flows through a number of villages and the KNP & TR to finally join the Brahmaputra. Thus, pollution of this river, in any form, is fraught with the danger of affecting public health and livestock of a vast area and also the national park's flora and fauna, Choudhury said.

The fact that bio-medical wastes are dumped by the Bokakhat Municipal Board at the site has been stated by none other than the PCBA in its October 8, 2024 inspection report on the site. The report says, “... There are evidence of disposal of Bio-Medical Waste, such as catheters, glass vials, IV set, syringes, discarded medicine bottles, etc., predominantly Red and Blue category waste as BMW (Bio-medical Waste) Rules, 2016 categorisation...”

Specifications for Sanitary Landfills of the SWM Rules, 2016 has, in its criteria for site selection, stated, among others, ... “The Landfill site shall not be permitted within the flood plains as recorded for the last 100 years, zone of coastal regulation, wetland, critical habitat areas, sensitive eco-fragile areas.”

Significantly, the dumping site is located within a distance of less than one kilometre from the office of the KNP Field Director as well as the office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, Bokakhat. The KNP & TR authorities are expected to respond first of all in matters concerning the activities detrimental to the flora and fauna of the National Park. But, in this case, the KNP & TR authorities have turned a blind eye, alleged Choudhury.

-By Ajit Patowary