STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Though single-use plastic and plastic waste have posed a serious threat to Guwahati and other urban areas in the state, the government has not taken any scientific or tangible measures to solve the menace.
According to a study, Guwahati generates around 600 metric tonnes of garbage daily, including 350 metric tonnes of single-use plastics and plastic materials. Plastic materials have also posed a similar threat to other urban areas in the state. Plastic materials clog every drain and canal in Guwahati.
According to GMC (Guwahati Municipal Corporation) sources, the public buys or uses disposable plastic items like food wraps, razors, bottles, bags, etc. but does not dispose of them properly, which ultimately clogs the drains, canals, and other waterways.
Single-use plastic is banned. Despite that, their use is rampant in the market as the public and traders use them, defying the ban. The authorities concerned have washed their hands of the matter just by carrying out a few random drives. Apart from single-use plastics, other materials like drinking water bottles thrown out in large numbers daily and wrappings of various items like chips, gutkha, etc. also add much to the plastic garbage. Only a minuscule amount of the plastic garbage that gets accumulated every day can be recycled.
A retired GMC engineer said, “Our garbage collection system itself is faulty. The collectors leave around 30 percent of the garbage on their heaps. They heap garbage at roadsides or at the junctures of by-lanes and roads. It is not at all scientific. A common scene in Guwahati is that more garbage remains strewn around garbage bins than in bins.”
A senior doctor said, “Garbage heaps remaining without being lifted for two or more days do waft a stench that spreads diseases, especially among children. Bacteria, insects, and vermin thrive in such places. After coming in contact with such pathogens, a person may suffer from typhoid, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, enteric fever, etc.”
The government cannot ban the plastic industry, but it can restrict the use of single-use plastic. The problem lies in the fact that neither the government is able to impose the restriction nor is the public ready to obey it strictly. The government needs to place emphasis on recycling plastic materials.
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