The Rambiara River, once a pristine stream winding through south Kashmir’s Shopian district, is steadily turning into a polluted waterway due to the indiscriminate dumping of rotten apples, household waste and other garbage.
A major tributary of the River Jhelum, the Rambiara supplies water to hundreds of villages and irrigates vast stretches of agricultural land in Shopian and Pulwama districts. Residents say that over the past few years, several stretches of the river, particularly near controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage facilities, have increasingly become dumping sites for rotten apples and domestic waste.
Locals alleged that tonnes of rotten apples discarded by CA storage facilities are dumped into the river every year, polluting its waters and affecting communities living downstream.
“Every season, tractor-loads of rotten apples are dumped directly into the river,” said Mitha Gatoo, a social activist and resident of Shopian.
“Many villages downstream use this water for drinking, irrigation and other household purposes. It is unfortunate that such an important river is being treated as a dumping ground”, Gatoo added.
Besides waste from CA storage facilities, residents said household garbage is also routinely thrown into the river, especially near Digam village.
Plastic bags, food waste, bottles and other domestic refuse can be seen scattered along the riverbanks before eventually finding their way into the stream, they said.
Residents blamed the growing pollution not only on the absence of an effective waste management system but also on a lack of civic responsibility among people.
“People have developed a habit of throwing household waste into the river because there are hardly any proper waste collection points nearby,” said Ishfaq Ahamd, a resident.
“The administration needs to install community dustbins at regular intervals, but people must also understand that rivers are not meant for dumping garbage”, Ahmad added.
Another resident said the pollution had become worse over the years despite repeated appeals to the authorities.
“Everyone knows the river is getting polluted, yet nothing changes. Rotten apples continue to be dumped every season, while household waste is thrown into the river almost every day,” he said.
Residents said the pollution threatens not only the river ecosystem but also the health of people who depend on the Rambiara for their daily needs.
They said pollution of the Rambiara is particularly worrying because the river serves as an important freshwater source for villages downstream and eventually drains into the Jhelum.
They also said the river was already under severe stress due to rampant mining, and the growing pollution has only worsened its condition.
Residents urged the administration and the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee to strictly enforce waste disposal norms for CA storage facilities and take action against violators.
They also demanded the installation of community dustbins in villages along the river, regular collection of solid waste and sustained public awareness campaigns to discourage people from dumping household garbage into the water.
“Keeping the river clean is not the government’s responsibility alone,” Gatoo said. “People also need to change their mindset and develop civic sense. Unless both the authorities and the public act together, the Rambiara will continue to deteriorate”, he added.
Residents warned that if immediate corrective measures are not taken, the river could suffer irreversible ecological damage, affecting thousands of people who rely on it for water and agriculture.
