Imphal : Perfecting art of dumping wastes all over

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 9: "Clean and Green Imphal" is a distant dream for now with every corner of the city being turned into dumping grounds for waste.
There are dumps everywhere in the city.
The Sangai Express, since several weeks, has  been highlighting this issue--which due to its rampant nature now seems to be "innate" and a "new normal" shaped by the society.
A few days ago, this paper carried a report about people dumping household waste and turning the parking space at Wahengbam Leikai into a dumping ground.
Today (December 9), this paper exposed the impaired and filthy state of the toilet complex inside Cheirap Court.
Now, this paper--with the objective to encourage civic duties--is bringing you this report to help keep Imphal city neat and clean.
In front the Cheirap Court complex is the flyover bridge, the underpass of which has been turned into another big dumping site.
Mounds of waste of every kind, plastic, leftover vegetables line the entire section of the underpass. The surrounding areas aren't filthy too. The road-sides along Lamphel to Sana Keithel are also littered with wastes.
Imphal being the largest city which has the Khwairamband market do attract people from across the State. But, the "visitors aren't the only ones who are littering around the market."
"The city people, shop owners, those who visit the market and the IMC [Imphal Municipal Corporation] are all to be blamed for making Imphal ugly and filthy," said an elderly man,  a retired Government teacher who was buying winter clothes for his grandson in the market.
"People think the IMC is there to clean the mess. The waste plastic cover of a Rs 10 biscuit doesn't weigh much. But it's funny, people are unable to carry it with them. Unable to lift the sheer weight of the very small plastic cover, they are throwing it everywhere," said the retired teacher.
"But, the people who throw away the cover of chewing-gum randomly are all the more unbelievable," he added jokingly.
Keeping Imphal neat and clean is the duty and responsibility of every individual in the city, he said.
"It is very simple. Don't litter. In case you don't find any place where you can dispose of the waste you generate, then carry it with you in your pocket or bag or car, and dispose of them properly at home," said the retired teacher.
The IMC should properly manage the waste generated in the city. It should designate proper waste collection points and install garbage bins all around the city, he added.
Notably, the IMC to its credit cleans the underpass of the flyover frequently. But, people would deposit household and other waste again late at night.
"Some people do act like petty thieves. They would sneak around the city late at night and in the wee hours, and dump household waste where they find it easy," said a woman from the area.
Unregulated and improper disposal of waste not only makes the city ugly, but it also poses a public health risk, she added.
It is the responsibility of both the people and the IMC to keep the city clean. The IMC alone can't keep the city clean when the majority of the public keep dumping waste anywhere and everywhere, she said.
"People should educate themselves. Teachers in schools and parents should teach children about hygiene and benefits of proper waste disposal. Good habits and hygienic practice should start at home," she added.
She also sought the attention of the IMC and relevant authorities to take appropriate action against people who dump household waste inappropriately in the city.