The garbage problem for a small urban area like Itanagar-Naharlagun is astronomical. Heaps of rotting garbage dotting the twin cities belies the fact that, there is a thriving administration and a municipal body.

 

With the constitution of Itanagar Municipal Council in 2013 now Itanagar Municipal Corporation it was expected that many ills plaguing the twin capital town of Itanagar and Naharlagun would be a thing of the past. Albeit at a sluggish pace, the IMC in the past few months has pulled up its socks and is making a valiant attempt to clean-up the colossal mess around. 

The tale of the twin city reminds of a story of a woman, who seeing through her windows, keeps complaining about how dirty the neighbour’s house  is until one day, her husband tells that it’s because of the dirt gathered on their own window-glasses that she is seeing the dirt on other side. Needless to say, most of the dwellers around Itanagar-Naharlagun are like the woman. Citizens clean their homes but throw it next door. They ought to stop throwing garbage wherever they wish to; be more disciplined in locating the right place to dump. Need of the hour is development of civic sense among the capital dwellers. Waste Management is a part of cleanliness drive and people must change their mindset and inculcate a habit of cleanliness to make the city garbage-free.

That said, what are citizens to do when garbage bins remain overflowing for days on end?

Waste management is not about moving garbage from where it is visible to a secluded spot. Just because you cannot see, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Segregating biodegradable and non-degradable garbage is the crux of waste management. If garbage collection is a problem, then the designated dumping site at Karsingsa close to the temperamental Dikrong River is a fatal mistake. Every monsoon, this river eats away at the mountain side, a dump here is not only polluting the river but also causing severe public health risk. It goes without saying that there is serious brainstorming that needs to be done on the part of the administration.

The Itanagar Municipal Corporation has much on its hands. Cleaning up the twin city is no cakewalk but significant improvement can be achieved if will and intent is clear. Regular garbage collection, running fleet of sanitation vehicles and intensive and sustained awareness campaign among capital dwellers must be the focus.