Dimapur generates 1.11 lakh kg of waste per day, says new finding

Nagaland has poor understanding of the dire effects of waste on environment and health

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, April 26: The Dimapur municipal area, which is divided into 23 wards with about 96 colonies, generates an estimate of 111124.56 kg (111.12 tonnes) per day (TPD), revealed a new finding. However, two colonies that have an issue over non-payment of Residential Sanitary Tax (RST) were not included in the study.

This finding is found in the first ‘waste assessment report’ of the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) which is compiled by Living for Environment (LiFE), a non-governmental organisation.

DMC conducted an in-depth assessment of the current waste management system in its jurisdiction (municipal area) from February 12 to March 13, 2019 (24 days) with the assistance of LiFE. It was carried out to evaluate the collection system; waste generated; its composition and characterisation; and impact of waste on water and air.

However due to lack of adequate instruments (technology), the assessment on the impact of waste on water and air could not be accurately ascertained, said a member of LiFE during the release of ‘waste assessment report’ at the DMC office in Dimapur on Friday, April 26.

The report said that Nagaland has poor understanding of the dire effects of waste on environment and health. One of the factors for this was the lack of study on the prevailing waste management system which also takes into account different aspects involved in this process- waste production, collection, transport, recycling, treatment and disposal. Moreover, the ongoing traditional practise of waste disposal like sweeping the waste away and letting the rain water wash it downstream has made the situation more complex, added the report.

For the report, the LiFE team used two methods – door-to-door collection and market area assessment.

“For the door-to-door collection, the waste was segregated during the routine collection and was weighed out manually using weigh-scale. For the market area waste assessment, a different approach was taken since it has only open roadside dumpsites scattered in different area. Therefore the assessment was conducted at 2 am before the normal collection commenced at 6 am. The final weight of the market waste was ascertained by utilising a weigh-bridge,” said the LiFE team.

The estimate waste produced daily by the city (1.11 lakh kg / 111.12 tonnes) is more than last year’s estimate of 100 tonnes per day (estimate of June 2018), indicating that it could be increased to 15000 kg/15 tonnes or more per day in a year’s time.

Waste generation estimation
As per the data compiled in the study, the waste generated from door-to-door and community receptacles collection per day was 63,690.26 kg. It excludes the areas that do not fall in the specified route of the assigned sanitation vehicle. The waste generated from the market area stands at 47,270 kg.

Of the total waste generated in Dimapur city, Duncan Basti, including Tajen Ao road, produces most waste with 5880.3 kg per day.

It may be noted that the findings of the assessment, though exhaustive and comprehensive, cannot be considered as conclusive. One key factor for this is unsystematic waste collection system.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Dimapur ambassador, Geoffrey Yaden, who released the report, said that ‘every city that takes care of its waste grows in a healthy way and cities which fail to do so give out a wrong impression.’ Emphasising on the need for participation of the people, he said cities like Shillong have progressed because of the efforts of the people but in Nagaland everyone expects the state government and DMC to do everything.

“It is the responsibility of the people to keep the environment clean and we should be reminded everyday of our responsibilities towards the environment,” asserted Yaden, even as he offered assistance to LiFE

DMC administrator Moa Sangtam pointed out that ‘if we can identify the waste which can be productive, we have the prospect of international companies investing in the state.’ He also maintained that the ‘waste assessment report’ may be the first comprehensive report on waste in northeast or even in the country.