By Our Reporter
Shillong, Nov 11: Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) Senior Environmental Engineer, WR Kharkrang has called for a community-driven campaign to address the problem of solid waste management.
He lauded the initiative of Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to set up a Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) at Mawlai Mawroh – the first pilot project. He said the initiative will help segregate waste at source.
He said the state government has made a similar initiative at Umpling and Lawjynriew under the State Investment Programme Management and Implementation Unit.
“But it is on a smaller scale compared to the initiative of the council,” Kharkrang said.
He said people will always complain about unhealthy and filthy conditions of places due to unregulated dumping of waste in many localities and villages.
“Everyone knows that the Mawlynnong village has earned the tag of the cleanest village. But do we know where they are dumping their garbage and waste? I fear the fame which they have earned might go away if this truth is revealed,” Kharkrang said without elaborating further.
He said the MSPCB and the KHADC had come closer to each other after an order of the National Green Tribunal.
“I remember I was advised by the former Chief Secretary, Y Tsering that we need to reach out to the council. I still remember my first interaction with the council. I don’t think any government official will visit the office of the council to seek its cooperation for addressing concerns relating to the environment. The relationship that we shared with the council in the past three years is really great,” Kharkrang said.
Meanwhile, he lauded the Dorbar Shnong of Mawlai Mawroh for agreeing to allot land for the setting up of the RRC. He said they have set a great example to other Dorbar Shnongs to be generous and not to shy away from donating land for the good of the community.
He said the RCC will not only focus on the segregation and treatment of waste but will also help generate livelihood for the residents of the locality.
He said the waste and garbage which will be treated in the RCC will be useful in many ways. “I hope the residents of the locality will ensure that the RCC is a successful initiative. It will be a model to encourage other villages and localities to set up similar infrastructures,” he added.
Recently, KHADC Chief Executive Member, Pyniaid Sing Syiem laid the foundation stone for the RRC at Mawlai Mawroh. He had stated that the council is contemplating on sending its officers outside the state to undergo training on waste management with big companies.
The council will have to prepare the groundwork to be able to successfully implement its Solid Waste Management programme, he said. The KHADC has sanctioned Rs 57 lakh for the project, he added.
To start with, the council has plans to set up around 10 RRCs and their number will increase depending on the successful implementation of the projects. The household waste will be collected, segregated and recycled at the RRC at Mawlai Mawroh.
Syiem had said that the successful implementation of the RRC pilot projects could significantly reduce the load on existing waste dumping sites. He urged the various Dorbar Shnongs to closely work with the council to solve the problem surrounding solid waste management.
According to him, the Dorbar Shnongs will be able to regulate waste and garbage generating from the households within their localities by enforcing the rules framed by the council as per the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Solid Waste Management) Act, 2020.