A city can advance only as much as its citizens’ civic sense.

Kohima’s aspiration to be fittingly called a ‘Smart City’ is visibly being pulled back by its citizen’s lack of civic sense, especially with regard to waste management. Although equipped with the resources and facilities, development in Nagaland’s Capital City remains stunted just like its drains choked with garbage.

At an age where countries are planning to build colonies on the moon, it is unconvincing to blame our poor waste disposal habits on people’s ignorance or on the government and civic bodies’ failure to sensitize the mass.

On 1 December 2024, the Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) stated that without penalty there will be no discipline and announced fines for inappropriate disposal of wastes. The penalties are as follows:

improper disposal of waste – Rs. 2,000

littering or non-segregation of waste – Rs. 1,000

absence of proper waste bins – Rs. 500

unauthorized burning of waste – Rs. 5,000.

In Kohima, more so than other cities in the State, concerned citizens and authorities concentrate on clearing the drainage system in town and colonies on numerous occasions throughout the year. Despite of these, the general public continue to overlook one’s responsibility and dump their garbage in the drainages close to them, turning a blind eye to the hazards of their actions.

There are many adverse effects of poor garbage disposal systems including pollution, health risks and various other environmental hazards. Leaving a plastic bottle or a polythene bag in the drain will directly impact us sooner or later. The articles may block the flow of water in the drain, causing it to overflow and lead to property damage at the least. The contaminants may be carried downstream to larger water bodies which could be the source of water supply for the community.

During Monsoon 2024, nature splayed the wastes, mostly Kohima’s, at the mighty Doyang Dam in Wokha district, one of the top attractions in the State. It took five days for the joint teams of the massive Clean Doyang Mission to clean up the visible pile of garbage accumulated at the dam.

The theme for Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign 2024 was “Clean Habits, Clean Values”, however, common civic sense among some is still way behind. SHS campaign 2024 was aimed at focusing large scale citizen advocacy, cleanliness drives, and the clearing of garbage spots across Kohima but apart from participating in dedicated programs, the public seemed to have missed adopting the campaign’s objectives in their daily lives.

A resident of Chandmari area in the capital city highlighted that disposal of both wet and dry waste is a difficult task for her due to the proximity of her home from the main road. She mentioned that the KMC garbage truck comes to her locality twice a week to pick up the wastes, however, the truck does not come on designated days and time. The citizen has therefore come up with smart ways to effectively tackle the issues of disposing her wastes. She informed that she segregates the wet waste by composting it into manure for her terrace garden, while she accumulates the dry waste for dumping on designated waste pick up days.

A resident of Middle PWD also highlighted that some ignorant residents take their wastes to the nearest drains at night and discard it without thinking about the hidden dangers and its after effects. Although some concerned citizens gather the wastes and burn them off, they are unaware of the adverse effects of smoke and pollution, the resident highlighted.

Emphasizing on the difficulties of waste management, another resident of Lower Chandmari underscored the challenges faced during monsoon seasons. He added that clogged drains lead to water logging which ultimately causes road surface deterioration. He also highlighted some of the nuisances seen around the roads inside the colony, stating that the odors and menaces are unbearable and many waterborne diseases are spread.

Another pointed out that there are instances where the garbage pickup trucks being too old (the last sanitation car being given on 2013 according to sources), probably breaks down time and again.

A concerned citizen suggested that the number of pick up days should be increased from the normal two days a week for all the wards and colonies under KMC.

While punctuality and dedication have to be encouraged among the KMC workers so that garbage is picked up in a timely manner to deter citizens from throwing their wastes at undesignated locations, especially the drains, it is also the need of the hour for citizens to own the mantra “My Garbage, My Responsibility”. Instead of solely relying on authorities, much can be achieved if citizens do their small parts.

“Every small action count: Keep our drains clean and our planet green”