Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Sep 14
Improving waste processing rather than simply increasing garbage collection will be critical to improving Srinagar’s cleanliness, Jammu and Kashmir Housing and Urban Development Department Commissioner Secretary Mandeep Kaur said on Monday.
Kaur said the city had made progress in waste collection but lacked adequate processing capacity, a gap that had contributed to its weaker performance in national environmental assessments.
“Srinagar is very clean compared to other cities. There is a collection, but there is no processing,” she told reporters on the sidelines of an event.
She said the government had invested heavily in collection vehicles, material recovery facilities and other waste infrastructure but municipal spending alone could not keep the city clean.
With around 3000 to 4000 sanitation workers serving a population of roughly 1.6 million to 1.7 million, residents would also need to take responsibility for waste segregation, disposal and composting, she said.
Kaur said the administration was focusing on schools and children to encourage behavioural change, including through cleanliness programmes.
She also urged residents to reduce their use of plastic and said the government wanted to create “clean warriors” in schools and households.
A major focus is the Achan landfill, where years of accumulated waste have created a longstanding environmental challenge.
Kaur said a remediation project had begun and was being implemented on a fast-track basis.
In July, the J&K Legislative Assembly’s Environment Committee reviewed a Rs 361-crore remediation project for the site.
Kaur expressed hope that the work would significantly improve Srinagar’s cleanliness performance within two years.
Srinagar was ranked 26th among 130 cities assessed under the Union environment ministry’s fifth Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan, released on September 7.
It had ranked 25th in 2025 and fourth in 2023.
The survey assesses measures including road dust control, vehicular and industrial emissions, construction waste and solid-waste and biomass burning, making waste management an important component of the city’s overall score.
