Assam and Nagaland have jointly launched a campaign – Swachh
Diwali, Shubh Diwali – under which both States are encouraging people to follow
“eco-friendly” way of celebration by keeping localities clean post the festival
of lights.
Assam has taken up the Waste to Food Route, which is a
unique initiative to manage and control the post-Diwali waste and has adopted
the principle of 3-Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) to transform ‘waste to food.’
Traditionally, people light earthen lamps on the stems
of banana trees to celebrate the festival. To ensure the banana tree are utlised
properly post Diwali, the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban team in Assam has come up
with a simple waste management process which has been adopted by the urban
local bodies.
“The banana trees, stems and leaves that will be left
unused the next day after the traditional Diwali celebrations will be handed
over to the national parks around urban local bodies for use as fodder for
elephants,” informed an official.
Citizens can also cut the banana trees into small
pieces and hand them over to the urban local bodies for disposal. From there,
the municipal staff will hand over the stems of these trees to cow shelters or
‘waste to compost’ pits located in the centre.
Already, as many as 104 central compost pits and over
6,000 domestic composting pits have been arranged at multiple places to
eliminate such waste.
Meanwhile, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has
asked the shopkeepers, residents and Kali puja pandal committees not to toss
banana trees on the streets. A helpline number 8811007000 has been shared for
proper disposal of the trees.
Since the launch of the Swachh Diwali Shubh Diwali
campaign by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Nagaland, like other States,
is actively spreading awareness for an eco-friendly Diwali this year.
In a concerted effort to curb single-use plastic usage
this Diwali, Nagaland traders are championing the “bring your own bag” concept.
Leading the campaign, the Mangkolemba Town Council has mandated that shops
refrain from offering any form of carry bags, including paper bags, to
customers.
Furthermore, the Medziphema Town Council has
introduced the RRR (reduce, reuse, recycle) – With Incentive programme.
This initiative encourages people to use the RRR
facility, promoting waste segregation and the concept of turning waste into
wealth.
To generate maximum participation, the town is issuing
coupons for those bringing their waste to designated centres, offering rewards
such as saplings, ice creams, chocolates and other items from various stores
within Medziphema town, thereby reinforcing positive environmental practices.
NE Watch Desk
