Dr Asangba Tzudir
The highway stretch across Dimapur Government College was also an ‘ideal’ dumping site, and besides the not so scenic view it also produced such a nauseating smell. After numerous complaints once again there are new banners put across the stretch with appeals not to dump waste. The dumping has stopped to a great extent though not fully, as human insensitivity continue to exist which leads to garbage dumping just next to the banner.
However, it is not only that change takes time, but it is a difficult proposition to achieve 100% success because of a myriad of reasons. Recently this paper conducted an opinion poll seeking opinion on the priority areas which the newly elected town and municipal councils should prioritize to improve quality life of citizens. The priority areas listed were Waste management (45%); Road and Infrastructure (36%); Public Health (18%), and Others (09%). While the priority areas listed are all very important so also interconnected, most of the respondents stressed on Waste Management as one of the most priority areas.
While public health, and roads and infrastructure are main concerns, it is not surprising that waste management has garnered much response and attention. This brings to fore the issues of dumping waste, issues of waste management, issues of pollution, insensitive dumping and eye sore scenes which question the civic sensibilities of the people. All these issues and more have emerged due to insensitive dumping of waste causing various interrelated issues and problems.
The best thing about waste disposal especially in places like Dimapur is that household garbage is directly collected through DMC vehicle, and which also prevents open disposal. However, in places or colonies where the DMC vehicle cannot enter, it becomes a problem. This is where residents can take the trouble of taking their garbage to the nearest collection point where DMC vehicle comes, instead of dumping at one’s convenient place. As for business houses, almost all business establishments and institutions have their own cleaning personnel, and normally they are the ones who come early in the morning to clean. Their garbage or waste can be disposed during that time directly when the DMC vehicle comes. Dumping of garbage or wastes at anytime of the day leads to accumulation of waste at dumping places and which should be avoided.
Accordingly, even at designated dumping sites there should be a fixed timing during which wastes should be dumped and then taken away so as to prevent pollution and its associated diseases. More stringent measures and waste disposal policies should be in place for market places. The whole idea is not to accumulate waste at random places but to be dumped at a particular time at designated dumping sites before it is taken to the landfills.
With the induction of Town and Municipal Councils stricter regulations can be enforced as part of the planning related to waste disposal. The timing of disposal and avoidance of waste accumulation are important considerations. This also calls for discipline and sensitivity from the general public. The fight against waste menace calls for a collective responsibility in creating an effective waste disposal system.
Now with rapid urbanization the amount of wastes and garbage disposed is only increasing and this calls for efforts that look at minimizing wastes to the best possible extent. The idea is not to generate waste but to reduce waste at the very sources of generation – homes, businesses, market places and Institutions. Reducing waste conserves resources including energy and also reduces air, soil and water contamination. Reducing waste also reduces the expansion of landfills. In short, reducing waste leads to less disposal of waste.
In the application of waste reduction, it is very important for the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) also to be implemented at the grassroots. For instance, printing on both sides of paper, or reducing food waste by not cooking or preparing in excess, using more of items that can be reused like using tea cups instead of paper cups, and also items that can be recycled will drastically lead to waste reduction. All these when applied will create a larger impact on the whole process of waste reduction and waste disposal and which is a pressing concern today.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir writes guest editorials for The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
