The much acclaimed first in the north east “state-of-the-art urban solid waste management facility” at Kohima which was inaugurated and commissioned by the Chief Minister on February 11 this year was constructed as a panacea for scientific and hygienic handling and disposal of the capital town’s wastes. Sadly, six months after it was commissioned, the facility has today found itself being labelled a non-managed repugnant and polluted area, and an impending breeding ground for viruses.
The matter was brought to light by a youth organization from Kohima village after it wrote a letter to the state Urban Development authority complaining that piles of waste dumped at the facility were not being recycled, rather they were randomly scattered, posing a threat to public health and environment.
The youth organization, whose community apparently parted with a piece of their land for the well-being of the town, cited that the locality and the surrounding villages are now at a risk of various negative impacts unless the authorities concerned step in and take remedial measures.
Located about 2 kms away from the main town, the solid waste management facility was set up with a project cost totalling Rs.48.04 crore. It was taken up as part of the North Eastern Region Capital Development Investment Program (NERCDIP) through the Ministry of Urban Development, implemented by the State Investment Program Management and Implementation Unit (SIPMIU) and financially aided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Authorities have announced during the time of commissioning that the facility consists of a compost plant with a capacity of processing 50 tons of organic wastes per day, and a landfill which is designed for a period of 20-25 years to accommodate 32,000 m3 of wastes.
It was also publicized that wet waste such as food waste, agricultural waste and other organic wastes etc. will be
processed and converted into compost, which in turn can be used as manure, while the non-compostable wastes will be disposed in the landfill.
The project was designed with an operation and maintenance agreement period of 3 years with the project contractor, Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. Hyderabad, during which, the urban local body- Kohima Municipal Council- was to engage with the contractors in the operations.
It was also announced then that the Ministry of Urban Development had approved a new subproject (to go along with the facility) for procurement of 35 garbage transportation vehicles, waste collection bins, dry waste sorting and re-use units etc. for Rs.11.70 crore. Thus, projected to provide a facility to retrieve marketable materials from the town’s garbage and reduce the quantum of waste for dumping into the sanitary landfill. This subproject was estimated to likely extend the lifespan of the solid waste management facility site to another 10-15 more years. However, the subproject is entirely another matter.
What is of more concern here is what the waste management facility is there for if it is not serving its purpose. The efforts of roping in the project to set up the ambitious facility, the resources spent on the facility, the brains that engineered the setting up of the facility etc would all be in vain if the facility does not serve its purpose.
According to the youth organization, if the project remains an illusion rather than the envisioned management, it would not allow its prime land to become a hazardous dumping ground. It has also thrown a caution that if the project cannot function as per the specifications, the government will have to return the community land.
Now, the authorities concerned should put concerted efforts to confront the situation and take effective steps to thwart the mess which is originating from the town’s garbage! Hypes and claims will not resolve the problem if the issue is not addressed hands on, and may we add, if the wastes are left unattended.
