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Volunteers segregating waste near Sonouru Bridge (Secretariat Road), in Kohima on Saturday. (EM Images)[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, May 25 (EMN): Around 2000 volunteers from seven districts of the state braved the rains on Saturday to beat plastic pollution, which has become a matter of global concern due its deleterious effect on human health and environment.
The cleanliness drive was conducted in most parts of the state as part of The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) campaign. Apart from fighting plastic menace in the state, the campaign which is themed “Our mountains deserve better” also aims at assessing types plastics and brand auditing.
In Kohima, around 500 volunteers participated in the cleanliness drive which was conducted along the Sonouru river. It began at 7 am and concluded in the first half of the day.
The volunteers not only cleaned the trashes in the river but also segregated it for assessment and brand auditing. It was found out during the assessment that single-use plastic bottles form most part of waste, followed by Parle Agro product labelled soft drinks -- appy and frooti.
“The enthusiasm and willingness of the volunteers was very encouraging and far from expectation. It’s a sign that the public, particularly the youths are beginning to understand the challenges and threats of plastic pollution to our land and our lives,” Convenor THC, Nagaland chapter, LH Thangi Mannen told Eastern Mirror.
It was not only a cleanliness drive but also “a waste assessment for better understanding of waste we generate,” Mannen said.
After receiving the assessment reports from all the participating districts, the data will be compiled and submitted to the government along with a few suggestions. Meanwhile, the report from all the 12 mountain states will be placed before various national and international forums, she said.
“It’s time for the people to speak up for themselves,” said Mannen.
The THC campaign is a part of the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) and Zero Waste Himalayas. It is conducted every year on May 26, but Nagaland observed it a day early this time as it falls on Sunday.
In Chümoukedima, Dimapur, the drive was conducted by EAC and Admin CTC with ECO Squad and CTSU at three locations. The drive was headed by Grace Ministry, with ADC and Admin- MTC, in Mon.
Meanwhile in Zunheboto, it was organised by Green Club Zunheboto, Step by Step School, Olympic Higher Secondary School, Cornerstone, Merryhill, and Bloomfield Higher Secondary School.
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A massive cleanup drive, as part of The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) campaign, was organised at different locations in Mokokchung district on Saturday, with armies of volunteers collecting solid waste and depositing them at designated dumping sites.
In Mokokchung town, the drive was led by the Clean Mokokchung Campaign in collaboration with Young Women Christian Association and Jubilee Memorial School.
The volunteers collected plastic bottles, potato chip bags and other plastic items from Imkongmeren Sports Complex where social gathering and sports activities are held every now and then.
Retired bureaucrat, Thangi Mannen—who is also the convenor of THC, Nagaland chapter—and ADC Mokokchung, Manpai Phom also participated in the cleanup event.
“The cleanup is an attempt to assess the waste and identify the main polluters and the type of pollution. Assessments will be taken up for further follow-up at appropriate levels,” said Limaonen Imchen, a member of Clean Mokokchung Campaign.
More than one hundred volunteers collected 286.07 kg of plastic wastes from around the Imkongmeren Sports Complex, which covers an approximate area of 3.4 acres.
In Mopungchuket village, 91 volunteers gathered and cleaned three prominent sites in the village periphery. The sites cleaned today included the Süngkotenem Park, the Mangkolong oak tree avenue stretching 3 km, and Longrangtenem Park, all of which are frequented by tourists and visitors.
Wastes weighing 212 kg in total—comprised mostly of PET bottles, multi-layered packaging wrappers and single-use plastic items—were collected from the three sites. A number of wastes comprising Tetra Pak packages, tins, textiles, glass and other plastic items were also collected.
After collecting and segregating the wastes, brand and waste audits were undertaken at all the three cleanup sites simultaneously. PET bottles were stored at the ‘resource centre’ while the tins were offered to the local metal vendor in the village. The remaining garbage was disposed off at MMC dumpsite located 25 km away from the village.
The highest number of garbage in terms of weight was collected from the oak tree avenue weighing 114 kg followed by Süngkotenem Park and Longrangtenem Park where the garbage collected weighed 72 kg and 26 kg respectively.
Earlier in the morning, a brief thanksgiving programme was held at Pongen Salang for Mopungchuket winning the second place in the Himalayan Cleanup 2018 competition. The volunteers present also pledged to be ambassadors of plastic-free Mopungchuket. Volunteers from the village council, watsü (women) organisation, representatives from eighteen women SHGs and MALT participated in the cleanup today. The Himalayan Cleanup 2019 at Mopungchuket was coordinated by The Greensight Project in association with the youth ministry of Mopungchuket Baptist Church.