Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 16
Kohima city at present is generating about 50-60 MT (Million Tons) of waste and with limited machineries and manpower, the Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) is operating only with seven garbage trucks and 84 labours.
Out of 84 labours, 50 are engaged in street sweeping in all major roads of the city and 34 attached to vehicle. KMC has three sanitary inspectors and three supervisors and 14 drivers for utility services and garbage trucks.
KMC is presently working with an Institutional Development Consultant (IDC) from Ahmedabad under SIPMIU for overall reforms and restructuring of the KMC offices and staff and for better management of waste etc, said Zakiekhotuo Kiso during a talk show on environment issues as part of World Environment Day in Kohima recently.
The first major project and awareness kick-off was in 2006 with a Demo-Project on Solid Waste Management in collaboration with NPCB and sponsored by CPCB with a total amount of Rs. 1.5 core. Under this project, KMC purchased 2 mini tipper trucks, one JCB, Tata mobile for bio-medical waste, push carts for rag pickers, pamphlets, sanitary equipments and free distribution of about 18,000 bins of about 5 & 100 litres of colonies, schools, colleges, government offices and other institute for creating awareness of non bio-degradable (recycle waste) (blue bins) and bio-degradable (green bins). Under this demo project, KMC has set up a mini landfill at Viyakhukie above Phek road.
Vermin compost plant started on April 1 this year (organic composting of vegetable or green waste) have already started functioning along with bio-medical waste treatment and the plant is trying to generate power and gobar gas for domestic fuel.
The objective of this project is to create awareness in maintaining better waste management at primary household levels and to experiment other ways and means of recycling waste to wealth.
Handling of Bio-medical waste method was launched on April 1, 2011 at Naga Hospital, Kohima. KMC has already been working how out to install Incinerator for treatment of medical waste in scientific ways with the help of medical department, but at present medical waste is burnt in an improvised brick chimney and through deep burial system.
This is important because mixing of Bio- Medical & Domestic Waste can create major health hazards for both man and animals, it said adding that the KMC is collecting Bio-Medical waste from all hospitals, clinics and nursing homes on payment basis (Rs. 700 per trip) on alternative days.
KMC has instructed all health institutes to dispose Bio-Medical waste in prescribed plastic bags for safety.
The Council has decentralized 10 wards out of 19 wards in 2011. Those wards have sanitation ward committee to monitor and regulate the collections of waste. With this, waste has reduced in those wards and the policy of re-cycle, reduce& reused was seen in reality.
Also stating that KMC is the first municipality in the country to decentralized the wards, effort was on to procure more vehicles for 9 remaining un-decentralized wards at the earliest through funding from the state government.
Further, KMC has declared May every year as “Solid Waste Management Awareness Month and accordingly organised mass social work, awareness seminars and distribution of pamphlets on colony wise and general public etc.
Recently, the Council has issued a circular that plastic carry bags with less than 40 macrons will be banned for all domestic use in Kohima city with effect from Ist June 2013.
In this respect, KMC inspectors have already started checking and seizing all unauthorized plastics less than 40 microns in the city.
Meanwhile, KMC made an appeal to al citizens to use cloth or other bio-degradable bags and “henceforth all plastic bags of 40 microns and above will be charged from the bill/on payment for shopping etc.”
Under the sponsorship of Asian Development Bank (ADB), a mega project (Scientific land fill) is underway at Lirie for waste management. This is under the supervision of State Investment Programme Management & Implementation Unit (SIPMIU). Here, the waste will be scientifically monitored by segregating waste, sewerage treatment, air monitoring and other health hazard etc. will be done.
Further, KMC appealed all citizens to cooperate and help KMC for better management of waste and to be an ambassador for propagating waste free city.
