Of clogs and bags 

In April this year, chairing a review of pre-monsoon preparedness meeting, the State Chief Secretary had urged all the departments to take preventive checks and be prepared for any emergencies as most disasters occur due to excessive rains in the form of landslides and clogged drainages during monsoon.

A sort of reality check occurred last week, when clogged drains and other related impact of continued rains, submerged many areas in Dimapur and disrupted already crawling traffic in National Highway-29.  Momentary potholes created by rain is no longer a considered a nuisance and taken as collateral packages. ‘Timely action’ stressed at the meeting and put in motion since last monsoon, appear to be missing in this case, though Dimapur has seen an uptick in the construction of drainages and road works in recent times.

 Likewise, prior to the June 17 Nagaland Gazette Extraordinary Notification on ‘total plastic ban,’ the Urban Development Department “with effect from 1st December 2018” had already banned “all single-use plastics less than 50 microns, especially plastic bags and plastic cutleries including Styrofoam and thermocol disposable plates” along with other restrictions. Most initiatives, thereafter, were done mostly at the local level though ‘paper-bag making training’ is a current trend in the state. 

Ever-magnanimous, the Government informed that the total ban shall be “made effective after three months from the date of publication in Official Gazette in the entire State of Nagaland in the public interest and for the manufacturers, stockiest, shopkeepers to dispose off their stocks and no financial loss is caused to them.” 

Nearly seven-month lapses and the further exemption for another three could be interpreted in two ways: either the government is ill-prepared to take the plunge or making sure that everything is in place before the final closure.  

An outright ban is not the preferred mode, and optimistically the State Government, one assumes, is taking the second alternative to ensure that each mechanism is syncing cohesively for its successful implementation, thereby avoiding chaos.  

Last year, a report by the United Nations released after studying plastic ban in 60 countries noted that 30% of the assessees with data  on its impact, saw drastic drops in the consumption of plastic bags within the first year while remaining 20% reported “little to no change.”

The main reasons behind the failure? Lack of enforcement and lack of affordable alternatives.  The latter resulted in smuggling and the rise of black markets for plastic bags or to the use of thicker plastic bags that are not covered by the bans, creating increased environmental problems in some cases. A plot too familiar for other “prohibition” exercises in Nagaland.  

At the implementation level, incentivising alternative uses including tax rebates, technology incubation, research funding and support to recycling and waste management projects etc were suggested as crucial areas by the UN. 

Interestingly, the June 17 notification was muted on the promotion of ‘alternatives to plastic’ as well as incentives to entrepreneurs investing in such products. Presumably, these are inherent as the gazette notification was in "continuation of the State Government’s notification on November 29, 2018."

Moreover, different kinds of alternatives claiming to be biodegradable are also entering the market.  Robust quality assurance and control mechanism, ergo, must be in place, while solid waste management strategies must be 're-invented.’ 

With the proper allocation of roles and responsibilities, the concerned authorities must also guarantee that taxes or penalties collected from ‘defaulters’ or other means are used for maximizing the public good, not just another source of ‘alternative’ income. 

The gradual process of acclimatizing the citizen’s to behaviour and preferences to the changed scenario are essential for a successful implementation of any ‘ban.’ For this, the public must be convinced that every action executed, is done for common interest, and does not result in further erosion of trust. 

Many are understandably, ‘monsoon-preparedness,’ liquors ban and other sceptics, in the state. Another cohort of ‘plastic-ban’ cynic must not be added to the list.