Will use of polythene ever be stopped in Kashmir? It looks unlikely. This is despite the fact that there is a blanket ban on polythene bags and single use plastics. But go anywhere in the Valley, the polythene bags are freely available. In fact, all shopping in the region relies on plastic bags. It is because they are cheap, handy, and their use is ingrained in collective habit. But the damage they do to the environment because of their non-biodegradability is colossal. They are dumped into water bodies, landfills and forest areas, choking and polluting them.
Now the situation is such that polythene is everywhere. There’s hardly any shop in the Valley where you can’t get polythene carry bags. Though polythene pollution is a worldwide phenomenon, in Kashmir the penetration seems to be even deeper. Supermarket bags, nylons and other plastics litter roads, croplands and water bodies. The impact has been highly damaging. The humble plastic bag and plastic drink container play a far greater role in changing the planet than has been realized.
According to an estimate, over 50,000 tons of polythene and plastic waste is generated in Jammu and Kashmir annually. Ironically, this is happening despite the trade being illegal. This state of affairs has also exercised the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. On October 17, a Division bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Puneet Gupta ordered respondents to submit a status report within four weeks, failing which a cost of Rs 50,000 will be imposed. The court also sought details about the steps being taken by the government on polythene bags ban and the awareness measures among people for avoiding its use in Jammu and Kashmir.
Though several times bans have been imposed on the use of plastic bags in J&K over the last two decades, not much has changed on the ground. The reason is that the bans were never seriously implemented. Here’s hoping that the current government finally gets the act right and ensures not only that the use of plastic is strictly banned but that the use of environmentally friendly products is aggressively promoted. While regulations and policies are integral, a collective commitment to reduce plastic consumption and encourage responsible waste management is paramount. There is an urgent need to end this criminal negligence towards our environment. More so in the Valley, the paradise on earth, whose natural beauty draws lakhs of tourists every year.
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