Kullu: The Special Area Development Authority (SADA), Keylong, has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it had removed 280 metric tonnes of legacy waste from the Shakas Nallah and Billing Nallah in Lahaul-Spiti as part of a major environmental restoration drive, while also stepping up surveillance and strengthening solid waste management infrastructure across the region.In a compliance report filed before the Tribunal, SADA stated that the accumulated waste had been scientifically collected and transported for disposal in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules. To prevent fresh dumping, warning signboards have been installed, fencing has been initiated at vulnerable locations and six CCTV cameras — four at Shakas Nallah and two at Billing Nallah near Keylong — have been installed at environmentally sensitive and tourist sites.The authority also stated that the Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) at Koksar and Billing continued to function toward the scientific processing of municipal solid waste.Between April and June this year, about 29.5 metric tonnes of waste were processed at the Koksar facility, while 191.88 metric tonnes were handled at the Billing MRF. SADA also informed the NGT that Rs 65.06 lakh had been sanctioned for the electrification of the Koksar MRF.The report acknowledged that inspections by the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) had detected litter along the Sissu-Koksar road near the North Portal of the Atal Tunnel and near the Border Roads Organisation residential premises along the Chandra river bank. It stated that the waste had since been removed through special cleanliness drives and regular monitoring mechanisms were put in place to prevent recurrence.SADA further stated that organised door-to-door waste collection had been introduced in three gram panchayats under its jurisdiction and attributed litter found along roadsides and nullahs largely to indiscriminate dumping by tourists and commuters despite the availability of waste collection services.“The litter observed at certain roadside locations and along the edges of nullahs appears to be isolated acts of indiscriminate littering by tourists and commuters,” the report stated.The authority also informed the NGT that a Rs 9.93-lakh wet waste management shed with a composting unit was being established at Dalang. It is expected to become operational shortly, with the compost to be utilised by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) Regional Potato Development Station.Besides this, SADA stated that nearly 220 metric tonnes of non-biodegradable waste were collected and scientifically processed through campaigns involving educational institutions, self-help groups and NGOs during the April-June period.It further submitted that it had launched the “My Waste, My Responsibility” campaign to promote behavioural change and was organising awareness programmes and sanitation drives across tourist destinations. However, SADA noted that harsh weather, prolonged snow cover, difficult mountainous terrain, manpower shortage and seasonal migration continued to pose challenges to waste management in the high-altitude areas.Acting on a petition filed by Friends, a Noida-based NGO, the NGT directed the HPSPCB in 2024 to inspect the Koksar area.According to the petition, non-disposal of solid waste was polluting the Koksar area, which is extremely eco-sensitive and remains frozen for more than seven months of the year.The petition stated that the local authority neither segregated, processed, nor disposed of the dumped waste, and it also failed to frame rules for garbage disposal according to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.A team from the HPSPCB also conducted an inspection in Keylong on Sept 29 last year and found lapses in rubbish disposal by the SADA.Koksar, situated near the Atal Tunnel at an altitude of 3,140 metres, is a popular tourist destination, and Keylong, the district headquarters, is located at an altitude of around 3,100 metres.