Plastic bags are a ubiquitous contamination of our landscape both in urban and rural.
Almost all Rivers in the state have been dried up and polluted by plastic waste.
The campaign launched by locals of Heirok in association with some civil society organizations of the area to save Wangjing River needs supports and appreciations from not only the people of the state but also from the government too.
Much has been promised to take up long term policy for protect the major Rivers in the state. Much have been heard about many scholars activists talking on how to keep the urban area of the state clean and tidy. And we also know that some dedicated government officials in the state are trying all effort to make the environment clean.
As for the Imphal, the major business hub of the state it is great to see the IMC engaging large number of workers to clean the city some a year back. The kind of initiative is also worth appreciation, not because it will keep the city clean but also this initiative provides jobs to many people particularly those people who have been looking for jobs of any kind. But unfortunate part is that the spirit seems to be faded away from the mind of the government machineries this few days.
To be precise when it comes for keeping the environment clean, the need is to ban the use of plastic polythene bag. It is always the government first that should be in the forefront to materialize the kind of initiative. However, a mere promise or announcement without converting those in action will certainly lead the good works of the students’ body or some sincere employees in the government department into under frustration.
This is being brought up as the people sees no sustainable measures on the side of the government on either for ban of plastic use or for dumping site of the garbage collected from the urban area.
Some years back this newspaper has highlight on how the Lamphelpat, the site where the Chief Minister of Manipur had promise to protect as wet land area to keep the environment clean, has been converted into a dumping site of garbage collected from the Imphal city.
Cores and crores of rupees has been spent at Lamdeng in establishing the solid waste management plant at Landeng and it had also started working for sometime. When the Landeng solid waste management plant is working it is surprising to see why the garbage are being dump at Lamphel area and that too by exposing in open air. The way that the IMC is facing problem in dumping solid waste at Lamdeng shows that something is wrong in the multi crore worth Solid Waste Management plant at Lamdeng in Imphal Wast.
The garbage being dump at Lamphelpat will have serious environmental effect. We all know that Environmental pollutants have various adverse health effects from early life some of the most important harmful effects are perinatal disorders, infant mortality, respiratory disorders, allergy, malignancies, cardiovascular disorders, increase in stress oxidative, endothelial dysfunction, mental disorders, and various other harmful effects.
The government, particularly the MAHUD department should clarify on why the garbage from the Imphal are being dump at Lamphelpat instead of taking it to Lamdeng Solid waste management plant.
