Taking baby steps toward cleaning Kohima’s most polluted river

Our Correspondent

Kohima, June 7 (EMN): “Save Dzüvürü Campaign,” an initiative of the Kohima Village Students’ Union (KVSU), was more than just one-day sanitation drive. The union wanted to bring a “conscience revolution” through the campaign as the river is in the condition it is today because of “collective irresponsible behaviour” for over 50 years.

After identifying Dzüvürü as the most polluted out of all the rivers in Kohima, the union decided to launch the campaign, coinciding with the World Environment Day, President KVSU Er. Kikrukrielie Kevin Khezhie told Eastern Mirror. Normally, the union conducts sanitation drive or plant trees on World Environment Day, but this year it decided to save “most polluted” stream in the state capital city under the theme “Clean Kohima.”

Sharing about the initial plan on saving the stream, Khezhie said the union was faced with the challenge of mobilising people from Kohima village but when it shared the grave issue with village authorities, several organisations, unions and village council came forward to help.

A total of 1829 registered volunteers and a few hundred non-registered turned up for the cleanliness drive. This included about 1000 students from 20 schools and four colleges in Kohima, 13 churches, shopkeepers, residence, Kohima Municipal Council and government agencies.

Approximately, 500 metre-stretch that was clogged with plastics and all sorts of wastes was cleaned up by the volunteers, the president said. The drive started from the upstream, between Old and New Ministers’ Hill colony till a bridge connecting AG Colony and Dzüvürü colony.

Khezhie said that the KVSU wanted to continue with the work as one day is not enough to clean the river. He revealed that residents settling along Dzüvürü directly linked their sceptic pipe to the river. In such cases, he said, the union plans to direct the residents to remove the pipes as soon as possible, failing which they will forcefully remove such connections.

The union has also asked the people not to dump waste into the river and almost all the nearby colonies have agreed to follow the direction. Although there might be not much of awareness, the people are also “not pro-active in preserving the river,” he lamented.

“One of our main concerns was that we have to be pragmatic in giving solutions. More to that, we have to live by example,” he said. At least, KVSU has sent a message to the people through our initiative to save Dzüvürü, he added.

For the next phase, Khezhie said it will start with a consultative meeting with KMC, Panchayat leaders of six colonies (along Dzüvürü), KVC, KVYO and other like-minded individuals. Government agencies from the district administration, disaster management (NSDMA), Swacch Bharat Mission, etc. have all expressed their interest to join in, he added. A comprehensive action plan will be brought up and put to use after the meeting. He added that suggestions and ideas are pouring in from various corners but the union will discuss on a few pragmatic solutions and take baby steps towards achieving the goal.

The residents of the localities will be the ones to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the area. KVSU is merely facilitating and highlighting the cause, Khiezhie maintained.