Minister inaugurates solid waste management plan

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Sep. 3: The minister for Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Jacob Zhimomi flagged off a fleet of nine sanitation vehicles to be used for solid waste management, which were launched along with its official website, on September 2 at the Chümoukedima Town Council (CTC), in Dimapur.

Addressing the inaugural programme, Zhimomi said he was giving personal interest to the issue of waste management as one cannot run away from it.

“Waste management is a pertinent subject in the entire country where even the prime minister is taking the lead through Swaach Bharat programmes,” the minister said. He observed that there was no end to population control and a corresponding level of waste will be generated. He urged the people to construct composite pits too.

Zhimomi said that Nagaland along with other states had declared Open Defecation Free on October 2 2018 and that the target set for rural Nagaland has been achieved. He said business establishments using plastic will be penalised starting this month. He expressed concern about the opening of many brick kilns that he said was without obtaining proper license from the government. It is causing environmental pollution and damaging soil fertility, the gathering was told.

In other matters, the minister expressed sadness also over the division and disunity among the people. He urged the public to stay united as the key to peace and development lies in their cooperation.

The deputy commissioner of Dimapur, Kevekha Zehol also spoke at the event. He urged the citizens of all the 11 wards of Chümoukedima town to use the solid waste management facility properly and to make Chümoukedima ‘more beautiful.’

The administrator of the CTC, Thejavizo Nakhro said in his key note address that a total of nine vehicles will be going in all the colony lanes to collect waste from citizens’ door steps.

“Another team would be collecting waste from the business establishments,” said Nakhro. He spoke about the main components of solid waste management plan which he said aims at environmental sustainability, public service delivery system, sanitation branch management, conversion of dumping sites, self sustaining operation and regulatory mechanisms.

An educational video on solid waste management was also screened during the occasion.

Also, the PHE minister inaugurated a material recovery facility and compost plant at Chümoukedima A village Khopanala.