Srinagar, Feb 14: The Flood Control Department and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation carried out a sanitation drive along the riverfront on the Srinagar bund near Polo View, removing large quantities of garbage from the banks of the Jhelum on Saturday.
Officials said the drive was conducted with the assistance of volunteers who joined hands with field staff to clear polythene, wafer packets, and other solid waste that had accumulated along the embankment. The riverfront area near Masjid Bilal was comprehensively cleaned during the operation.
In a disturbing development, parts of a dialysis machine were also found dumped in the river. The medical equipment components were retrieved from the river body during the clean-up exercise. Authorities termed the dumping of such material as irresponsible and hazardous to the fragile river ecosystem.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation appealed to shopkeepers and locals operating near the bund and adjoining markets to use designated dustbins and avoid throwing waste into the river. Officials stressed that sustained public cooperation is essential to preserve the cleanliness of the Jhelum and prevent environmental degradation. [KNT]
