Aizawl: Aizawl, the picturesque capital of mountainous state of Mizoram, aspire to set an example to other state capitals in India in terms of cleanliness.
“Even at present state, Aizawl is one of the cleanest cities in India. With more concerted efforts, we can make it the cleanest city in India, you may call it a ‘Singapore of India'”, said Aizawl Municipal Council chairman Zarzokima as Cleanliness Week was launched across the state with people carrying out social works.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla also launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ at a function in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the centre of Aizawl’s Mahatma Gandhi Square last Thursday morning.
Lal Thanhawla, his cabinet colleagues, legislators and top officials, wearing white headgears swept the main road in the Mahatma Gandhi Square to mark the beginning of Cleanliness Week and also launching of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Meanwhile, the launching of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and observance of the Cleanliness week was undertaken in all villages and urban areas across the state on the same day.
Organised by the village councils in the villages and local councils in the Aizawl Municipal Council area, local residents participated in voluntary cleaning of their respective villages and localities.
According to SIPMIU (state investment programme management and implementation unit), Aizawl produces 165.39 tons of waste a day, making waste per capita at 0.53 kilogram per day which is less than the waste produced by one person in Singapore, which is said to be the cleanest city in the world.
“Aizawl, which has a population of 315,867 people, produces 1,63,390 kg of waste. The per capital waste produced in Aizawl is less than that of Singapore,” SIPMIU (state investment programme management and implementation unit) officials said.
According to SIPMIU, 38 per cent of waste produced by Aizawl city is biodegradable while 39 per cent are recyclable.
The waste produced by Aizawl residents are eight loads of a truck with a capacity of carrying 200 quintals. However, as per the government’s guidelines of 90 quintals per truck, it comes to 18 truckloads.
However, producing lesser waste does not make Aizawl cleaner than Singapore.
“The disposal system is a problem. More public awareness is required to make Aizawl as clean as Singapore,” the officials said.
At present, garbage disposal is taken up under PPP mode in the 82 localities in Aizawl since October last year. With the introduction of garbage disposal on PPP mode, the UD & PA discontinued the service of trucks to collect garbage from all the localities in Aizawl.
Instead, each locality hires a truck to collect the garbage.
Currently, SIPMIU is carrying out a survey for the second tranche of Asia Development Bank-funded infrastructure development in Aizawl that includes renovation of water distribution line, sewerage system and waste disposal system.
About Rs 330 crore had been allocated for Aizawl under the North Eastern Region Capital Cities Development Investment Programme (NERCCDIP).
The ADB has provided up to 200 million dollar to improve infrastructure in five state capital cities of Northeast, Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland), Gangtok (Sikkim) and Agartala (Tripura), benefiting an estimated 1.2 million people. (UNI)