Shanti Ghat in Bokakhat Turns Toxic Dumping Ground, Threatening Kaziranga’s Difloo River and Public Health

A Correspondent

Bokakhat: Tension and concern prevail at Shanti Ghat in Bokakhat. The cremation ground, intended to provide peace for one's final journey, has transformed into a highly unpleasant and distressing environment.

Due to the dumping ground of the Bokakhat Municipal Board, it has become difficult even to breathe at Shanti Ghat. The foul surroundings are so severe that they could pose serious health risks to those attending funeral processions. The entire area is filled with filth and stench. What was once envisioned as a modern waste management facility has now turned into a habitat for wild animals like bears. Built without proper planning and resulting in wastage of public funds, the waste disposal centre is now non-functional.

Garbage from Bokakhat town, as well as waste from various resorts and roadside eateries in Kaziranga, is being dumped at the cremation ground—often secretly during the early morning hours. Shanti Ghat lies within an environmentally sensitive zone near the Numaligarh Refinery, and the waste dumped here is creating alarming consequences. After rainfall, contaminated runoff water from the garbage flows directly into the Difloo River, which is a lifeline of Kaziranga.

Despite the area being declared environmentally sensitive for the sake of Kaziranga, the authorities of Numaligarh Refinery have remained silent. The waste includes large quantities of chemical packets and expired medicines. The polluted water seeping from these garbage heaps and entering the Difloo River poses a serious threat to Kaziranga National Park—something that is evident and needs no further explanation.

Questions are now being raised whether the refinery authorities, who had earlier declared this area environmentally sensitive in the interest of Kaziranga, will take any responsibility for the worsening situation at Shanti Ghat. Even after allocating around Rs 2 crore for beautification projects, the area has now turned into a neglected and overgrown wasteland.

A cremation ground is considered a sacred final destination of life. Will the authorities concerned now take responsibility and act to address this issue?

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