Waste management: A study on the hurdles faced
Source: The Sangai Express / Ng Liklaileima Arambam

Imphal, July 05 2021: Absence of scientific method, non-functioning of segregation sheds in many town and unavailability of space for constructing the same (segregation sheds) in many other towns are some of the major challenges that need to be overcome to manage the waste generated from urban areas effectively.

Though the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Green Tribunal have mandated scientific treatment of solid waste, the implementation of the same in the State faces many roadblocks that need immediate addressal.

According to the 12th Schedule of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act 1992, the responsibilities of keeping the town and city areas clean lies with the Urban Local Body (ULB) .

For Manipur, there are 27 ULBs - Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC); 23 Municipal Councils and 3 Nagar Panchayats covering 1,28,818 households in 306 Wards according to the 2011 Census.

As per a report of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs published in 2020, the quantity of waste generated from areas under Municipal Corporation and Municipal Councils is 174 metric tonnes daily.

Waste management: A study on the hurdles faced

This waste should be segregated at the source (the place of pick up) and treated scientifically at solid waste management plants.

According to Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, waste is classified into 6 categories-degradable waste, plastic waste, bio medical waste, hazardous waste and construction waste.

These types of waste have to be dumped separately and proper care should be taken at the time of transportation to ensure the liquid remnant and the odour of the waste are not leaked.

Accordingly, every Municipal Council should have at least one solid waste management plant and the Deputy Commissioner concerned must provide land for establishing the same as per Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 within a year of enforcing the latter.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Municipal Administration, Housing and Urban Development (MAHUD) Department Director Th Harikumar stated that Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 has also been implemented in the State.

Saying that additional by-laws of the Directorate and Municipal have also been effected to treat the solid waste effectively as much as possible, he added that the Directorate had also instructed all concerned to give priority of development fund utilisation on solid waste management.

Continuing that doorstep garbage collection service has also been made available in majority of the municipality areas, he added that certain municipalities including Imphal are struggling to implement the same.

Jiribam, on the other hand, is very advanced in this area (solid waste management), he added.

Stating that efforts are underway to have the facility of segregating the waste from the pickup site, Harikumar continued that door step garbage collection facility was not available a few years back.

For Imphal, a facility for segregating waste is available at the management plant, the Director said and added that in case of smaller municipalities, manual segregation of waste is the option available for the time being.

Maintaining that Jiribam Municipal Council can now collect 100 percent of the waste generated and also has the facility to segregate waste manually, Harikumar added that construction of segregation sheds for Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, Ningthoukhong, Lamlai, Nambol, Sikhong Sekmai, Mayang Imphal have been completed.

Harikumar further stated that the dormant segregation sheds will start functioning shortly.

Once these sheds start functioning, degradable waste will be prepared as compost.

The compost at Jiribam is certified by the ICAR while the one at Lamdeng is yet to be certified as waste is not segregated from the source.

To make the waste to energy project at Lamdeng succesful, a proposal has been sent to the Ministry to make a treatment plant for Thoubal, Bishnupur, Moirang, Thongkhong Lakshmi and Kakching Municipal Councils, he added.

Dry waste collected from these areas will be used to prepare Briquette.

Continuing that IMC is not able to collect 100 percent of the waste generated under its areas of jurisdiction so far, he contended that people complain of garbage trucks not coming punctually while according to the waste collector, many are yet to apply for the same service.

Harikumar maintained that efforts will be made to intensify waste collection service.

During field survey and on contacting certain former chairpersons of different Municipal Councils, The Sangai Express witnessed garbage being dumped at improper places, including at Nambol, Ningthoukhong and Bishnupur that have segregation sheds.

TSE also had the opportunity to interact with the EO of Lamlai Municipal Council, Peter.

According to him, the segregation shed of Lamlai is being placed at the office complex due to unavailability of space.

For treating liquid waste, vermi composts are being prepared while solid waste are being crushed by machine as segregation is not possible during this pandemic, he said and added that the waste are either buried or burnt.

In Kakching district, waste is segregated from the source by dumping the solid and liquid waste in different bins, said former CP of Kakching Municipal Council, Sanjit.

He maintained that three different dumping sites are available for dumping liquid waste while reusable solid wastes are sent for recycling.

The same procedure is practised in Kumbi.

This article is written under Khelen Thokchom Media Fellowship .