By Jonah Achumi
Thanks to the Nagaland Pollution Control Board! They came out crying foul. It was better late than never. Just a week back there was a profound discussion going on all around by many people and even among us friends wondering “Where the hell is the NPCB? Does a pollution control board even exist here in Nagaland? Or why don’t the NPCB bring to court those responsible lots for endangering people’s lives by so much pollution? Why it is not crying fault with so much dust pollution from these unrepaired roads? The road dusts around us are a sure guarantee for a respiratory disease and lung infection for many of us. Four times beyond the permissible limit wouldn’t even wake up our conscience. If Delhi suffers from smog, then Dimapur is suffering from road dust. Unpaved roads are the largest source of air pollution in Dimapur.
Pedestrians, motorists, vendors, shopkeepers, school children, college going students, old and young alike, both rich and poor all seems to be inhaling dusts at enormous rate from the dusts that have accumulated and flying all our five senses. Failure to address such miscellaneous by concern authorities are nothing new here but vital issues are now seem to be calculating and multiplying through enraged silence of the populace. A time is not long away when people will be filing cases in the court for those responsible.
Even the presence of even little smoke is considered harmful for newborn and toddlers. The air quality can lead to slow brain development, mental irritation and even psychological problems because the level of pollution is said to reach deep into the lungs and breach the lung-brain barrier. Asthma, allergy, eye irritation are only going to get more common. We only have to imagine how much of road dusts flying around here in this town are we inhaling, only heaven knows. The amount of dust we see in the unrepaired portion of our pathetic and the dismal dust filled potholed roads from the police point near the Tourist Lodge till to the supermarket is indeed beyond any sane society can endure. The traffic policemen are the most suffered ones.
It is learnt that the Central Pollution Control Board, just some months back, has asked three states, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland to control pollution. And among them Kohima and Dimapur is in the top list .Besides many other maladies, the Dimapur city at present seems to be suffering from over-population, over-congestion and as discussed, from pollution caused by road dust with comparatively smaller contributions from vehicles, brick-kilns and yet seems no one bothers except mumblings and mutterings from the comforts of their four walls and inside the luxury of their AC cars. “The Naga conscience is dead. Is it?” a friend who stays abroad and comes once in a while here to visit his relatives asked me. I only have to answer, “Seems so.”
CNN reported two weeks back that ‘Fresh air doesn’t exist in Delhi at present’. What about Dimapur then? If Delhi seems to be a city under siege from toxic air, then Dimapur is completely under siege from road dusts. If Delhi has become a gas chamber, then Dimapur surely is becoming a dust chamber. November 2017 saw the Great Smog of Delhi engulfed the whole city. Dimapur too seems to be under a spell of dust now.Air quality typically worsen before the onset of winter as cooler air gets trapped near the ground and prevents them for dispersing near the ground and prevents them from dispersing into the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as inversion. Though Dimapur can never be compared with Delhi in terms of huge vehicular pollution, industrial smoke and emissions of airborne dusts from construction site, the road dust in Dimapur is indeed overwhelming and tremendous and has gone beyond our words. While we all remain immersed so much in our daily life, we are failing to notice what adverse effect or harm is it doing to us. Though many civil societies have been vocal in other contentious and debatable issues, they have remained indifferent to such faulty and incorrect experiences we come across in our daily lives. The right to clean air and breath healthily for every citizen should also be made mandatory as any other right enshrined in the constitution.
Improper urban planning, lack of education and mass awareness and unconcerned denizens have multiplied the woes of urbanites. The common people in the autos and two wheelers or those who cannot afford to put on the car AC have to bear this grueling episode and the brunt of it. I feel for the little children moving around in autos and two-wheelers without any protection. Many students plying in two wheelers and autos are suffering greatly while travelling to their classes. The little protective gear, usually the cloth mask, which some wear but how much can it protect them? One prominent writer from our neighbouring state has recently written on the amount of dust on our almost non-existing roads. Even the visibility is fully obstructed and chances of accidents are increased. The risk of the health hazards like respiratory problems are much inflated by the dust all around. The number of young deaths in Nagaland seems to be ever increasing with diseases such as cancer, heart attacks and one more cause of death seems to have added, and that is pollution caused by Dust .Doctors say the microscopic particles from those toxins can penetrate deeply into the lungs, increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
A quick fix solution for the chronic road dust problem can be solved only by constructing our present pathetic and miserable conditioned roads. Roads show the face of a country and its people. And we can see how well it is showing the world by the roads we have here. Mere lip-sticking style of repair or black coating of the outer layer would never bring any solution. Our authorities need to roll out some emergency steps and quickly look into these issues before many Nagas are faced with breathing problems and shortening their lives. But the first shower of rain washing away the top layer is a testimony of how our roads are repaired. Writing the contractor’s name on the side of the road may atleast bring some solution to repair properly and satisfactorily. Local authorities like colony GBs, chairman and councils should play a pivotal role in monitoring the repairing of the roads by the department and contractors.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, unpaved roads produce almost five times as much particulate matter as construction activities and wind erosion (the next two largest sources) combined. In addition to polluting the air, dust can be a health problem for nearby residents. It also settles on plants up to 500 feet from the road edge, slowing their growth and reducing crop yields.
It takes courage and a lot of sacrifice to remake ourselves and again still need more courage and lots of sacrifice to transform a society that is so callous and lost in transition. While Hornbill Festival, International Trade Expo and many such programmes has started to draw some global aspirations, our governance style has failed miserably in addressing local inspirations. But it seems nothing is happening much here in Nagaland except some ignited young minds, trying to bring the elusive change in this tiny state where most of the major stakeholders like civil societies, student organisations choose to remain mute. Every concerned person should not hesitate to voice out what is essential for a good and a healthy nation. Good roads are citizens’ rights and when we cannot demand our own rights, can we say our conscience is still alive?
