SHILLONG: Visitors to Shillong are first greeted with the foul stench and smoke emanating from the land-fill at Marten, Mawiong.
Environmentalists today claim that burning garbage is the worst form of environmental pollution. Pollution levels are touching new heights in Shillong. While the number of vehicles has increased exponentially and their emission levels have contributed to the air pollution in Shillong city, citizens are not informed about the suspended particulate matter in the air.
“It is the onus of the State Pollution Control Board to inform citizens whether the air they breathe is heavy with toxins or still within permissible limits,” said a member of an environmental NGO.
It is evident that Marten is a dump yard where garbage is not treated under stringent environmental conditions. The smoke emanating from there pollutes the surrounding areas said Martiu Lyngdoh, a woman who sorts out garbage from Marten. She feels that something ought to be done immediately to address the impact of this dumping ground on the environment.
For Lyngdoh there is no other alternative but to carry on with this profession because it is a question of livelihood, although she knows that this affects her health.
A resident who stays near Marten asserted that all sorts of waste is dumped there and when it rains there is watery discharge that flows to nearby rivers and also pollutes the Umiam lake. He also felt that the smoke and fumes from Marten affect the health of many people.
Another resident Donkupar Laloo also complained of foul smell arising from the dump yard and urged the State Government to take necessary remedial measures.
City residents feel that this is an issue that calls for collaborative efforts as it concerns the environment and health of the citizens.
Meanwhile, some big wigs in the State Government are also not happy with the overall functioning of Marten as it is symbolic of a system that has gone awry. Some even suggested that a high wall should be constructed around Marten to contain the smoke and the smell since the prevailing situation is such that Shillong cuts a sorry figure before visitors and tourists who are welcomed with this depressing stench.
