Students of SOA University form a human chain in Bhubaneswar to create awareness on an environment-friendly world on Sunday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, June 5: As the nation celebrates World Environment Day today, the capital struggles with a plethora of problems. The city with a population of 10 lakh is yet to have a full-fledged solid waste and sewerage disposal system and a proper mechanism to regulate the use of polythene.

Apart from this, major roads in Bhubaneswar are yet to have dedicated cycle tracks, which are considered essential keeping in mind the concept of environment-friendly transportation in any modern city.

The much-hyped public transport system — the city bus service — is yet to cover all the major routes. The frequency of the bus service has come down due to withdrawal of 10 buses. Out of a total strength of 70 buses, only 60 are now plying on seven routes.

Also, the city is yet to have an energy-efficient house built with the green building technology keeping with National Building Code guidelines.

Forests and environment minister Debiprasad Mishra admitted that Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) should first concentrate on solid waste disposal mechanism and management of polythene in the city.

“I have asked the Mayor to concentrate on the prime objective of the civic authority. Majority of our environment related issues will be solved once the city has an efficient solid waste disposal system,” he told The Telegraph. He said the government was evolving a comprehensive development plan on the city’s environment management.

Polythene materials are causing serious problems for the civic authority by choking small drains.

However, minimum thickness of such material has been changed from 20mm to 40mm as per the new rule formulated by the Union ministry of environment and forests. This should reduce the burden of the BMC in terms of waste disposal.

“But they should be ensuring proper enforcement of the rule as it has categorically defined the role of the BMC as the implementing authority,” said S.P. Samantaroy, environmental scientist of the state pollution control board.

The city division of the forest department will take up plantation of 3.5 lakh saplings at various places across the city in a year. While more than 60,000 saplings will be planted in Bhubaneswar range, the rest will be planted in association with other stakeholders in the government and social service sector.

Huge hoardings near trees create a peculiar problem. The huge trees are trimmed in order to make way for the hoardings. Also, lights are used to illuminate the trees, which affects the birds.

Environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty said: “We have already written to the housing and urban development department in this regard. But no step has been taken to adopt a eco-friendly hoarding policy in the city.”

On the water front, the ground water table is depleting fast. But neither the state government nor the local municipal corporation is doing anything to check the problem.

The public health engineering organisation’s inability to take pipe-water supply to every nook and corner of the capital is also complicating the issue.