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Nagaland’s mirror: A drain in the state’s capital town Kohima seen here saturated in garbage and plastic waste.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 27 (EMN):Taking forward the fight against plastic pollution, various individuals, communities and organisations in Nagaland are taking baby steps to lighten the burden and reduce the adverse effects of plastic pollution on the environment and health of people.
An instance of such small beginning was the Angami Gazetted Officers’ Krotho (Agok) during its 35th conference at Kohima: They didn’t provide water pet bottles but kept water dispensers and bamboo cups. The dignitaries were also served water in bamboo cups, and not a single water pet bottle was used.
Likewise, the rice was served in baskets made from bamboo strips, curries in hollowed bamboos, and cutleries made from bamboo and eco-friendly areca plates. Although the measures seem to be small, it a big beginning in fighting plastic pollution, as it is understood that weddings, conferences etc., are where huge piles of non-biodegradable single-use plates and cutleries are accumulated.
Ever since the government announced a decision to make the state plastic-free, concerned citizens along with NGOs and the Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) have taken the first step to publicising the ill-effects of single-use plastic bags.
As part of this effort and taking the first step to saying no to plastic, the PWD Colony Panchayat in Kohima has resolved to strictly ensure shop owners to use paper bags and paper wrappers when serving customers. A similar resolution was issued by the New Market Area Panchayat banning use of plastic for wrapping.
Eastern Mirror interacted with some colony chairmen and youth organisation in and around the capital town to find out how they were trying to fight plastic pollution. It was found that the citizens are now aware of the adverse effect of plastic and are seriously concerned about taking steps in own ways and means.
Talking to this Correspondent about the effects of plastic pollution was the chairman of the PWD Panchayat, Neibulie Kiewhuo. The community leader said that, through attending seminars and publicity programmes, he came to understand the adverse effect of plastic on the environment and people’s health.
“We are coexisting with plastic and if we continue at this rate we will be living in plastic planet and not in green planet,” he said. To educate residents, he informed that the panchayat had been going on a house-to-house campaign, which basically is to encourage the idea of ‘starting right from the kitchen’ of citizens.
The panchayat has invited unemployed youth of PWD colony to try their hand in manufacturing paper bags with the Panchayat assuring to help them find materials to produce the paper bags.The product will generate income for the youths too besides saving the environment from plastic.
A workplace has been identified and some youths have shown interest to starting a small scale enterprise, Kiewhuo said.
Also, the president of the PWD youth organisation, Ato Puro said it wants to send a message to the people by ‘practically doing things’ and to dissuade people from using single-use plastic.
Likewise, Bayavü Youth Organisation’s advisor Sobou said that 90 youth volunteers went around Bayavü colony and drains and collected plastic waste that could fill six trucks, during a cleanliness work that was conducted during Nov. 24-26.
The youth leader expressed disappointment that on the very next day residents had begun throwing plastic into the drain and along roads. Although a total ban of plastic at this juncture is not possible, Sobou maintained that people should stop using single-use plastic and stop littering public areas especially roads, drains and footpaths.
The biggest challenge, he pointed out, are the tenants who allegedly don’t cooperate with the directives of the colony and panchayat authorities. He opined that house owners should give proper and clear directives to tenants before renting out their houses.
Sobou was also exasperated at the insensitivity of passersby and travellers who ‘carelessly throw empty chip packets, sweet wrappers from vehicles making the high school junction messy and dirty.’ He said that the youths will be putting up hoardings around the colony as reminders not to use plastic.
The secretary of New Ministers’ Hill, Lima Imsong said to fully implement measures against using single-use plastic from January 1 starting from shops in and around the colony. He informed that the residents of the colony have been advised not to bring any plastic from shops and markets. Further, plans are in the pipeline to approach
self-help groups in the colony to manufacture paper bags for income generation and sell it at reasonable price rates.
