Jhelum Is Dying. Why's Nobody Accountable?

Unchecked sewage from Kashmir towns is polluting the lifeline of the Valley. The Pollution Control Committee must act before courts force its hand—again.

- Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat

River Jhelum, Kashmir's main waterway, is slowly choking under the weight of untreated sewage and official apathy. Despite repeated warnings, the J&K Pollution Control Committee has failed to enforce environmental laws. The problem is no longer about broken systems, it is about the absence of accountability.

In a recent Assembly session, the legislator from Bijbehara, Dr. Bashir Ahmad Veeri, questioned the government on untreated sewage entering Jhelum from the towns of Anantnag, Mattan, and Bijbehara. The Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) admitted that wastewater from these towns is drained into nearby streams, which eventually flow into the Jhelum. However, it misleadingly claimed that sewage is treated through existing networks, when in reality, no operational sewage treatment plant (STP) exists in Anantnag district.

This is not just a bureaucratic failure, it is a violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Section 25 of the Act prohibits the discharge of untreated waste into water bodies. Violation of this law can result in imprisonment of up to six years. Yet, municipalities and urban environmental departments continue to construct drainage systems that dump directly into rivers and streams. And the Pollution Control Committee remains silent.