Dubagaon village rejects dumping site plan

The Dubagaon Village Council (DVC) has strongly opposed the state government’s move to set up a solid waste dumping site within the jurisdiction of Dubagaon village here, following a statement by Urban Development and Municipal Affairs adviser Zhaleo Rio indicating the proposed location.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, DVC chairman Diganto Sangma and head GB Dependra Sangma clarified that while a No Objection Certificate (NOC) was initially granted to the state government for establishing a solid waste management-cum-recycling plant, the situation changed after chief minister Neiphiu Rio publicly declared the site as a dumping ground.
In response, Diganto said the village council convened a general meeting and unanimously resolved not to let the dumping site under the village jurisdiction, and decided to revoke the NOC.
He disclosed that the revocation letter signed by the village GBs had already been submitted to the Commissioner of Nagaland through the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur.
“This is a residential area. There is a water body nearby, and the location is dangerously close to many homes.
Allowing a dumping site here violates basic principles of environmental safety and community rights.
If the government proceeds without reconsideration, the public will have no choice but to protest and take to the streets,” he warned.
Dependra claimed that the proposed site would lead to potential violations of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, which mandated that waste processing and disposal facilities must not be located near residential areas or water bodies.
He feared that setting up a dumping site inside the village would pose severe health hazards for its residents, besides affecting the nearby villages, and also pollute the Chathe River, which lies nearby the dumping site.
He urged the state government to identify an alternate, environmentally-viable location for the facility, one that respected both the rights of the community and the need for effective waste management.