NGT fines Nagaland Govt ₹200 crore for improper waste management

DIMAPUR, Nagaland: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has levied environmental compensation of ₹200 crore on Government of Nagaland for its failure to manage sewage and solid waste in the state. Addressing a workshop on plastic waste management and segregation of waste at the source, Hukato Chishi, Member Secretary of the Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) stated, “If we don’t start managing solid, sewage, and plastic wastes today, our land and environment will be in a worse situation after 10 to 20 years from now.”

Yanathung Kithan, Scientist ‘B’, NPCB, mentioned that the Nagaland Integrated Waste Management Policy 2019 aims to achieve sustainable waste management by 2030 throughout the state and urged for community participation and take the role of “my waste my responsibility.”

He highlighted the importance of the ‘4Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle and recover, which is an effective principle for tackling plastic waste. He also highlighted the rules and responsibilities of the Deputy Commissioners, waste generators, urban local bodies, and village panchayats and to act according to the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

The day-long workshop was organised by the Dimapur division of the Public Health Engineering Department in collaboration with the Niuland Town Council under the theme “Freedom from Garbage.”