Botovi Yepthomi
Burma Camp, Dimapur
Do you know that 9 out of 10 most polluted cities are in India? Sadly I must say that Dimapur is not far behind. But first of all we acknowledge the good work of collecting garbage in every colony in dimapur and the effort to clean up dimapur by the DMC and local groups.
Nowadays we see garbage being accumulated in every colony in dimapur, which are collected by garbage trucks. But then the problem starts here, because this garbage is taken to a dumping site in Burma Camp, which is a populated area. And according to Indian Municipal Act, the law clearly states that dumping site should be more than 20kms from populated area. And while most people in dimapur are not aware, it is not just the people in Burma camp who are affected but most parts of dimapur. Let me explain, the garbage collected are not just organic but chemicals, plastics and hospital wastes. This contaminates the ground water and soil, but mostly the air is polluted. The smoke from the fires in the dump site carries carcinogens and other harmful pollutants that cause cancer and other respiratory diseases.
Studies have shown that the smoke from these fires can travel more than 5km in radius, so that covers upto areas around the airport in the east and areas around Duncan Basti in the west. These pollutants in the air affect people of all ages but mostly children as they are more susceptible to these diseases. In India a person dies every 23 seconds due to respiratory disease caused by air pollution. I did a little research and found that many children are suffering with respiratory problems, especially those living closer to the dumpsite. We must act before this becomes like a plague. When are the authorities going to deal with this ticking time bomb, and when are the denizens of dimapur going to speak out against this life threatening issue. If not for yourself do it for your children. This problem of waste management and pollution is getting bigger and bigger every day.
I especially urge the authorities to deal with the fires and smokes immediately not only as their professional duty but also as a moral duty. May God almighty grant wisdom to the authorities and the denizens of dimapur, so that we deal with this waste hazard effectively and efficiently. God bless Dimapur.
