The scenes of garbage piling up on the streets of Imphal have become a common feature no matter how many declarations of keeping Imphal clean are made. A host of programs and projects have been launched with fanfare and hoopla but the stench of rotting garbage in Imphal tells its own story. On the few days that waste disposal pick up vehicles come by to pick up garbage from households, the streets of Imphal may well look a bit clean but such days then mean it is the turn for people living around the Lamphel and Langol foothills have to live with stench and filth, thanks to the accumulated garbage that gets dumped in their vicinity. IFP’s piece yesterday on how the cease work strike by employees of the Imphal Municipality Council points the sorry state of affairs where Government apathy towards employees on one hand and the lack of responsibility and ownership amongst IMC employees on the other, is taking its toll on the civic appearance and hygiene and sanitation of Imphal areas.
The IMC employees getting short shift from the Government in terms of not getting their pay is getting repetitive and mirrors the travails of the now defunct Manipur State Road & Transport Corporation. Given the fast urban growth in and around Imphal and the lack of proper drainage and dumping ground for garbage and wastage, the idea of doing without an agency to take care and responsibility of waste care and its management will do nothing for the ‘development’ that Manipur is attempting to seek. The IMC and other agencies come into the picture at the stage of waste collection and disposal but it is necessary also to address ways of preventing garbage accumulation as well. The latest vehicles on the street also have people who throw waste right in the middle of roads to start with and there must be a way of naming and shaming this section of people so that the habit does not become a legitimate common activity.
One other way of not contributing to waste build up is by not using polythene bags, which is incidentally banned. But, the manner and degree in which polythene bags are being used throughout the state dispels any notion of the ban being implemented. Compare this with states where Government takes strict action against the use of plastic bag use by making that shopping establishments use paper bags. Elsewhere in the country, walk into any major store, and customers who opt for plastic and polythene bags are charged extra thereby indirectly leading the common man to start thinking about using jute, paper or cloth bags. In Manipur, apart from the cement structured dumping areas in residential areas, the roads do not have public dustbins while plastic/polythene bags have become a much-needed commodity. There is no reason why we in Manipur cannot curtail their use when other states have been able to do the same. It just takes some effort on our parts and a bit of the authorities being serious with its intent of limiting plastic and polythene use.
In terms of waste disposal and dumping, once plastic use is limited, bio-degradable waste materials no longer need to be burnt but can be utilized to make compost organic manure or be recycled. While the Government needs to decide what it wants the IMC to be doing as a stakeholder in the civic and sanitation sector and address the grievances of its employees, it should also be noted that apart from Imphal, there are semi urban areas developing in the districts without any agency in place to look into waste disposal and management. It is only a matter of time for the spectacle of waste piles that we see in the streets of Imphal to be seen in these semi urban areas and there is an urgent need for a systematic approach to be put in place. If steps are not taken to address the filth and the stench that we are beginning to regard as ‘normal’ and acceptable, we will soon come to a stage where Manipur may well be known only for its garbage.