By Benjamin Lyngdoh
“At the outset, Marten is unsuitable to function as a waste disposal site. Although its total area is around 16 acres, much of it has reached its capacity. The useable area today is roughly equivalent to five football fields. It is located on a hilltop which does not bode well for the surrounding areas. It does not possess systems for generation of eco-friendly energy such as bio-fuel/biomass. Any which way we look at, Marten as a waste disposal site was poorly chosen.” There was no thought on how to deal with the insurmountable quantities of waste in the years that followed.
Waste disposal and its treatment is an important element of urban planning and development. It is as critical as ensuring road connectivity and provision of electricity and drinking water to the households. In the case of Shillong city, waste disposal is a neglected domain. It has been so for many years. Today, it has turned into an awkward and embarrassing situation for the state government. This column deals with the specifics of waste disposal alone. In the current scheme of things there’s no point talking about waste management. That is a far cry and something which will never be achieved if Marten continues as a waste disposal site. Marten has turned into an eyesore for many. The people from other localities may want to remain oblivious to the problem. Some say it is a Mawlai thing and let them deal with it. Well, picture this. If Mawlai really decides to flex its muscle then the whole of Shillong will turn into a stench of waste. As such, Marten is not at all a locality-based problem, rather a lesson on urban planning for Meghalaya as a whole.
At the outset, Marten is unsuitable to function as a waste disposal site. Although its total area is around 16 acres, much of it has reached its capacity. The useable area today is roughly equivalent to five football fields. It is located on a hilltop which does not bode well for the surrounding areas. It does not possess systems for generation of eco-friendly energy such as bio-fuel/biomass. Any which way we look at, Marten as a waste disposal site was poorly chosen. There was no thought on how to deal with the insurmountable quantities of waste in the years that followed. It is difficult to fathom that we have a waste disposal site within the limits of Shillong city. This is a blot on the face of urban planning. The outcome is that people have to tolerate the stench that emanates from it with the worst being during the rainy season. In addition to the smell, people also have to face the seepage into the Shillong-Guwahati highway. Talk about welcoming visitors/tourist into our city. Marten has become a shame for many on numerous occasions. As such, it is tenable for Mawlai locality to protest and call for the removal of the waste disposal site. The state government has started to listen to this demand but the worrying thing is that it seems as though it is just looking for a landfill replacement. Apparently, there is no thought on waste management. By all means, it looks as if it is only about shifting the problem into another site.
The main gate and front of Marten is something that most people are familiar with. However, it is also important to note the rear of the site. This can be viewed and experienced when one travels through what we call in Khasi as ‘ka lynti rim’. It is an old road which is seldom used now. Its termination point is at one end of Umiam Lake. This end is common for fishing. The road is manned at the entry-exit point by the forest department of the Government of Meghalaya with specific opening and closing timings. The good thing about the rear of Marten is that there is a proper retaining wall. It is a well constructed wall that prevents waste from being scattered beyond control. There is also an arrangement to control seepage of water through the wall. There are large pipes to take care of this. However, on closer inspection there is significant seepage from the site downwards and towards an area which is rich in flora and fauna. The stretches of lynti rim have bountiful flora and rich fauna. The most prominent of which are birds, monkeys and snakes. Marten is a threat to these. As of today, there is not enough evidence to suggest categorically that the seepage percolates into the water bodies downstream. Nonetheless, the soil pollution around the site is prevalent for all to see. The rainy season makes it worst. The flora is already affected and it is just a matter of time before the animals would face the brunt of it.
The interior of Marten leaves a lot to be desired. The stench is normal. The frequency at which the waste dumping trucks came to unload can also be considered as being normal. However, the working conditions of the waste segregators are precarious. Apart from gumboots they have no other means of protection from the hazards of waste handling/segregation. A few of them wear gloves. This is dangerous as they might come into contact with hazardous household wastes like sharp objects, broken glass, chemicals, etc. Its Covid-19 pandemic time but most of them were not wearing masks. But Covid-19 is not the brief here. The greater worry is the heaps of bio-medical waste which is lying unattended. Hospital waste is extremely dangerous and someone has to do something about those big yellow bags before they cause serious health problems. If anything, it seems as though there is no concern for the welfare of the employees working inside Marten.
Well, what is the way out? The immediate solution with regard to Marten is two-fold. Firstly, it is about reducing the quantum of waste that goes into disposal. For this to happen, households can revert to the age old practice of ‘compost pits’. They are an effective way of handling organic waste (apart from meat waste). The product is the generation of fertile soil that can be used for plants and flowers. If there is a space, every household in Shillong should revive this old practice. It is beneficial and environment friendly. If some of the homes do not have the space for this on account of fully concrete/cemented premises; it is still not a problem as wooden crates can be used as a compost pit. This will be of immense help for reducing organic waste at Marten in the short-term. Secondly, if at all a new site is identified for waste disposal then it must encompass adequate provisions for proper waste treatment and waste management as a whole.
Finally it is sad to note that till date Shillong does not practice waste management. Marten is not the solution. It has ceased to serve its purpose. It is time to think in terms of generating fuel from organic waste and effective recycling inorganic waste. In relation to this, what is the outcome of the visit of the state government delegation to Alappuzha town, Kerala in 2018? This town is renowned for sustainable waste management. Its practices are considered to be amongst the best in the world. Their waste management model is a decentralised action of waste collection, segregation, processing, composting, organic farming and recycling. These are done at the locality/community level. There are multiple waste management units in the town. In addition, Alappuzha once faced waste problems like what Shillong is grappling with now. So, has the State Government learnt something from the visit? Which of these learnings are viable and can be replicated for waste management in our urban planning? It is high time to revisit the issue!
(Email: [email protected]; the writer teaches at NEHU)