By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 5: The processing and scientific disposal of municipal waste have emerged as the weakest aspects of the state’s solid waste management (SWM) system.
According to the CAG report, only 20% of the waste collected in Shillong’s urban areas was processed through composting plants, while in other urban areas, waste processing was nearly negligible. The severe shortcomings in solid waste processing and disposal are attributed to two key factors: first, most municipal waste ended up untreated in landfill sites, and second, the landfill sites were either inadequate to handle the dumping burden or entirely absent, leading to the use of ad hoc dumping sites for untreated waste.
The value chain in SWM was virtually non-existent, as composting efforts failed due to poor waste segregation practices. The failure to operationalise compost plants under the SWM project rendered the expenditure on these facilities unproductive. Moreover, there was little incentive for the informal sector to participate in waste segregation.
The state government urgently needs to acquire suitable land to establish modern SWM facilities and sanitary landfills to mitigate the risks of public health disasters, as well as soil and water pollution.
The CAG report recommended that accountability should be established for the non-completion of compost plants in Nongpoh and Tura, as well as the under-utilisation of the compost plant in Shillong.