Disorganized garbage collection poses health hazards
Source: Hueiyen News Service / RC Mangang
Imphal, January 31 2015 :
Polluted particles falling down from vehicles carrying waste products collected from households in and around Imphal Municipality are posing serious health hazards to the people walking on the road when they come in contact with such particles.
Collection of waste products is done by NGOs after getting permission from Imphal Municipal Council (IMC).
However, most of the vehicles used in garbage collection do not use container to cover waste products.
Moreover, people do not wrap garbage products properly in plastic or containers before handing them over to the workers coming to collect waste materials from their households.
As a result, polluted liquid having foul smell are flowing down from the vehicles.
Since garbage products collected from households are not covered, heaves of them are falling down from the vehicles on the road before reaching the dumping site, thereby posing health hazard to people walking on the road when they come into contact with such polluted particles.
There have been instances when people vomited from inhaling the foul smell emanated when waste product pick-up vehicles pass by.
This is a serious concern for people suffering from asthma.
Laid-down guidelines like type of vehicles to be used in garbage collection and ways to carry waste products are not strictly followed.
As such, question has been asked how workers engaged in garbage collection could follow the guidelines when IMC, which is responsible for awarding license to NGOs, does not follow the same.
According to an official of IMC, there are seven NGOs namely Workers' Union, CRED, EUDO, KWAMS, Seven Security Force, TECDEF and SUWO registered with the council.
They are responsible for picking up waste products from households under Ward no.1 to 27 of IMC.
In doing so, they charged a sum of Rs 50-200 per month from each household.
Collection of garbage is not carried out every day.
Almost all vehicles used by NGOs in collection of garbage are worn out.
The condition is same with those vehicles own by IMC.
Six Tata Magic vans, five 407 mini trucks, three dumper pressure vehicles, two Ashok Leylands, one truck and two power tiller vehicles of IMC are devoid of container to cover waste products.