Garbage dumping along riverside banned in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: District administration has imposed a ban on dumping garbage and discharging sewage into the Kunhar and Siren Rivers to protect them from pollution.

“The district administration has received reports from various sources indicating that hoteliers and the general public have been disposing of garbage and connecting sewage lines to the Kunhar and Siren rivers, polluting the water and environment in Kaghan and Siren valleys,” read an official order issued by Deputy Commissioner Khalid Iqbal.

The order stated that the business community and the general public were dumping garbage into the rivers and their tributaries, thereby destroying the ecosystem, polluting water, and harming fish and other water species.

“There is a risk of disease outbreaks among the communities living along these rivers, which must be prevented through this immediate ban,” the order said.Invoking powers under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the deputy commissioner banned the disposal of garbage and sewage into the Kunhar and Siren Rivers.

Violators of the ban will be prosecuted under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code.In a separate order, the district administration imposed a ban on excavation and the transportation of minor minerals, including bajri (gravel) and sand from the Siren River and its tributaries throughout the district.

The order stated that applications had been submitted by the assistant director of the Mineral Development Department and residents of Khaki, Nakot, Tarangri Sabir Shah, Gulibagh, Taraha, Barkund, and Hari Maira, requesting an immediate ban on all forms of excavation in the Siren River.

The ban applies to all non-leased excavation activities in the river. However, leaseholders are permitted to continue operations following the conditions outlined in their contracts.