SRINAGAR, October 6, 2026 – A severe lag in the execution of vital rural sanitation infrastructure has been highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, revealing that over 2.33 lakh compost and soak pits remain incomplete across Jammu and Kashmir. This massive shortfall falls under the ambit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), specifically concerning its Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) provisions.
According to the latest CAG audit findings, a staggering 60% of the compost pits and 48% of the soak pits slated for construction remain unfinished. The SLWM guidelines were designed to provide crucial health benefits through the safe disposal of waste, economic benefits through reuse and recycling, and overall aesthetic improvements via cleaner rural surroundings. The scheme mandated the construction of both individual and common compost pits to handle biodegradable waste, alongside soakage systems to effectively manage grey water generated in the villages.
The CAG report strongly noted that this massive shortfall in completing the pits is bound to severely impact the effective management of SLWM across J&K. The delay directly affects the treatment of grey water and compromises the general cleanliness and hygiene standards of the rural areas. Furthermore, the audit also highlighted multiple deficiencies noticed during the physical verification of several sampled works, pointing to substandard execution in the construction of soakage pits and drainage systems that were marked as complete.
Responding to the audit observations in August 2025, the concerned department stated that the primary reason for the non-completion of the works was the non-receipt of the corresponding material share required for construction, even in cases where the manual labor or physical groundwork had been completed. The CAG’s findings add to a growing list of administrative and infrastructural concerns in the Union Territory, emphasizing an urgent need for the administration to streamline funding and material supply to achieve critical sanitation goals.
Published by True Roots Media Network