SHILLONG, May 1: COVID-19 has not only prompted localities to take charge in combating the virus but also to be more reflective about the onslaught on the environment.
In a bid to save the environment from the biggest pollutant – namely plastics, the Dorbar Shnong Nongrim Hills has taken the lead in the fight against the use of plastics within the Shnong.
The locality has started this campaign against the use of the plastic at a time when it is also engaged in combating COVID-19 pandemic.
Talking to The Shillong Times here on Saturday, Nongrim Hills Rangbah Shnong, Bantylli L. Narry said that they had taken a decision on April 12 last in consultation with all the shop owners in the locality to stop the use of plastics from May 1.
He said the shop owners have been requested to stop giving plastic bags to the consumers who come to their shops.
Narry also informed that they have asked the garbage trucks to reduce the collection of plastics from the households in the locality as far as possible.
According to him, this is a revolutionary step towards making the locality a plastic free zone.
Barry said that the objective to start this campaign at this point is because the only way to fight against the pandemic is for people to either change attitudes or readjust their behaviour.
“We felt that people also need to bear in minds that the use of plastic is a threat to the environment and the surroundings around us as they finally land up in rivers or at landfills which turn into mountains,” Narry stated.
He said it is not an easy task to do away with plastics unless the people themselves start realising its negative impact.
“We have seen the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) both of whom are important stakeholders in governance playing their own part if curtailing the use of plastics but with little success,” Narry said.
He also recalled that the KHADC had earlier decided to make Iewduh market a plastic free zone and added that this had helped to a large extent since major suppliers of plastic bags are in Iewduh market. The Nongrim Hills Rangbah Shnong however feels that this battle against the use of plastic can be achieved if every Dorbar Shnong takes a call to ban the use of plastics within their respective localities.
According to him, it will be a step in the right direction if the 90 Dorbar Shnong within the Shillong urban agglomeration can initiate a campaign against the use of plastic.
“But for this to happen it will require a wider consultation among the various stakeholders. Perhaps the government machinery can take the lead to provide a platform to deliberate on this very important issue,” he observed.
Echoing similar views, a member of Community COVID Management Team (CCMT), DD Laloo said that it is a great step taken by the Dorbar Shnong to inculcate behavioural change among the residents not only in combating COVID-19 but even on the negative impacts of rampant use of plastics to the environment.
He also mentioned that they are encouraged to start this campaign after seeing the efforts of a group of concerned citizens to clean the Umkaliar river.
“It will be a great victory if we manage to reduce the use of plastics by even 5 percent. We fully realise that it is not an easy task to put a total ban on the use of plastic but a beginning towards this goals must be made,” Laloo said.
Laloo informed that the campaign is not focusing only on the shop owners but also on educating the residents on the negative impact of the use of plastic.
“As a Dorbar Shnong we also need to focus on how to sustain this campaign. We would not like to see this initiative run aground like the one initiated by the KHADC which lasted only for a brief period,” Laloo said.
He also informed that there is a plan to divide the various shops in the localities into clusters.
“We are also planning to seek the cooperation of the ASHA workers who are the frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19. We understand that the ASHA workers travel throughout the locality. I am sure they would be able to share feedback with us on the areas which require special attention for maintaining cleanliness,” Laloo stated adding that if the owner of Jiva Hospitality, Jiwat Vaswani (Bablu) at his individual level can change the whole look of Khyndailad, then Nongrim Hills Dorbar Shnong too should try and bring the much needed change which will health the environment.
“The Dorbar Shnong as an institution can attempt bigger things for the protection of the environment,” he added.