By - Dr. Asangba Tzudir
On the eve of World Environment Day this year, some students went about cleaning litters especially plastic in the Dimapur Stadium. The next morning after World Environment Day, the place was fully littered again, and it was littered on World Environment Day. The State Stadium is one of the very few public spaces in Dimapur that caters to recreational purposes for Dimapureans. A recent press report captioned, "Dimapur on the verge of waste pandemic" while highlighting about the waste composition of the State Stadium also pointed out the misuse of public spaces. But the irony is the fact that though we are humans, our acts says otherwise where we still fail to acknowledge, appreciate and therefore we fail to show respect to the very spaces where people can come and relax, enjoy and engage in leisurely activities for free. It is not just about the littering that adds to the waste pandemic, but one should feel really ashamed of littering public spaces.
In this age of modernity and progress, the most ironic tragedy is our struggle against something as basic and persistent as littering especially plastic littering, and today, its indiscriminate use and disposal have created a global environmental menace. Those who litter callously may be celebrating it as a symbol of convenience, but in actuality symbolizes irresponsibility and pollution which triggers the waste pandemic and the harm it causes to our environment and the living world. The stench that emanates from the heaps of litter is not just an eyesore but a threat to public health and which is rapidly destroying our ecosystem invading every corner of our planet choking drains, clogging rivers, suffocates marine life, and even enters the human food chain in the form of microplastics. What makes the crisis more severe is that non-biodegradable nature of most plastics will persist in the environment for centuries. As such, one mindless action of dumping or throwing away causes damage to our environment for centuries.
Despite bans on single use plastics, it is still conveniently used and also dumped without second thoughts. Strict enforcement of anti-littering laws, incentives for recycling, investment in circular economy models, and the active involvement of civil society are not just options but urgent imperatives that should move beyond ritualistic activities.
However, the fight against littering cannot be won by government policy alone. It calls for awakening of a collective consciousness and responsibility from everyone. Most importantly, what is imperative is education and behavioral change at the grassroots level to instill a culture of consciousness where everyone especially children are made to understand the damaging effects of littering. Yes, there are alternatives, but be it bio-degradable or non-biodegradable waste, the problem today is the so called civilized people littering public places.
Littering is a preventable tragedy. But preventing it requires will, awareness, and positive action. In consideration of the larger effects on the environment and the ecosystem, and also in consideration of the littering of public places, the State Stadium in Dimapur in particular which is like haven serving as a place of recreation for Dimapureans, should be strictly made a ‘litter free zone’ for the convenience of everyone using the space. As such, anyone who visits should make it a point to use this space more wisely and not litter. Ultimately, in this struggle against the menace of littering, we cannot and should not be agents propagating the waste pandemic.
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir writes a weekly guest editorial for the Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com).
