The waste management problem in Manipur has become acute. While this problem is universal and has become the bane of practically every society on the globe, it is a fact that some eco systems are more fragile than others. It should not be difficult to imagine why Manipur with its central valley surrounded by several ranges of mountains, would fall in the latter category. Just as denuded hills would be unliveable the central valley silted and contaminated by toxic, non-degradable sediments would equally be non supportive of life. People tend to take the bounties of nature too much for granted, and nobody ever thinks how serious the threat to life would be if the forests, rivers and lakes the state is blessed with were one day to fade away. Indeed, despite being so poor monetarily, poverty is not so harsh nutritionally in the state precisely because of the state`™s bountiful natural resources. Income-less sections of the population who still constitute quite a big percentage are spared the humiliation of absolute poverty and starvation because of this fact. If the degradation of the region`™s ecology continues the way it is at the moment, the day this invaluable shield against poverty and misery vanishes cannot be too far off.
There are too many factors behind eco degradation worldwide, but as the adage goes, think global act local. Even within the state, the issue is diverse, but on a very local canvas, one of the most immediate threats is plastic. This threat is most urgently and visibly felt in Imphal city. It is painful therefore to see in the dry seasons when the water levels in our rivers are low, plastic sediments literally clogging and choking them. Since almost all our rivers flow into the Loktak Lake, it is imaginable Loktak also becoming similarly throttled by plastic, destroying its complex, life supporting eco system in the near future.
It is no point simply lamenting. The way to go as concerned citizens is to also act. The urgent question then is, how do we tackle the plastic menace we are faced with? While practically everything we use today has plastic components, starting from our mobile phones and computers to our ordinary everyday office and household conveniences, it must be said the biggest plastic pollutants today are cheap, disposable plastic shopping bags and plastic water bottles. This being the case, a good starting point in the campaign would be to discover ways to control the use of these two. As only to be expected, this campaign has to be carried forward by the ordinary citizens and government together. While the government must fight the problem at the structural level, ordinary citizens must make the effort to sensitize themselves on the issue and be ready to change lifestyles. For a start, as is done to discourage people from smoking, the government must tax plastic bags heavily so shopkeepers do not willingly give them away free as wrappers to customers. If these bags come at a cost, customers will also begin thinking in terms of using sturdy, reusable shopping bags, and thereby dispense these use-and-dispose plastic bags.
In the case of bottled water, the government role is bigger. First of all, it is its fundamental responsibility to make safe drinking water available free, or at a nominal cost. Once this is ensured, the problem will end automatically for it is because our tap water is not safe that people buy bottled water. This is however something the government cannot do overnight so until such a time it is able to do this, it should install heavy duty water purifiers at different locations where people can go refill their water bottles, thereby forego packed water. These filters can be in small booths similar to ATM booths, where people can go have a drink or fill bottles, but not where they can take their buckets or bathe. Philanthropic organisations and clubs, such as Lions Club and Rotary Club, can actually be made partners in such projects. In clean Indian cities such as Shimla, these water booths exist, and this is what Manipur`™s cities and towns can emulate.
Leader Writer: Pradip Phanjoubam