5 reasons why Silchar is getting dirtier and becoming a bed full for diseases

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Silchar or Barak Valley was never a bed full of roses but it was not a bed full of diseases either. Known as ‘island of peace’ Silchar is historically considered as a clean and green place and so is the entire Barak Valley. But, now-a-days population growth is resulting in deforestation, and hence the city, and the valley alike are less green than what it used to be.

Similarly, cleanliness too has gone for a toss. While the Prime Minister has been very vocal about cleanliness and several initiatives are launched under “Swacchh Bharat” campaign, on ground, at least in Barak Valley, it has only gone worse. The combination of deforestation and untidiness has made Silchar a bed full of diseases.

Why is our city so dirty? We ourselves are the biggest reason… yes, every time we discuss a civic issue we tend to put the blame on district administration and the government. While it’s true they too are somewhat responsible for the mess but there are other reasons too. Of the many reasons we listed down five and here they are…

 

1. Irresponsible Residents: We call it our own city; our own valley but we don’t really treat it like our own. People throw garbage anywhere and everywhere, people pack garbage in a packet and throw it through their windows. If you step out late at night or early morning just before sunshine, you will see people carrying garbage in their car and throwing it in the middle of the road from the running vehicle. Even if people go near the trash can or dustbin, they throw it from a distance and therefore the surrounding areas too become a dustbin. Irresponsible residents are the biggest reason why we see stockpile of garbage every now and then while on road.

2. Infrastructure issue: The municipality first installed plastic trash cans everywhere in the municipality areas, but the plastic cans cracked and after that iron cans were installed. The issue now is iron cans will soon get rusted and eventually break, so the administration needs to put separate cans for dry waste and separate ones for wet wastes. Also, the height of the dumping bins in our city is too high and garbage collectors are unable to lift their carts to that height so they dump it around the bins.

 

 

3. Municipality issue: Cleanliness and hygiene of municipality areas are under the custody of Municipality Board. Now since last one year there is a serious crisis in the municipality administration of the state. The municipality workers are not getting their wages since eight months now and often call for strikes. Few strikes go on for days, and hygiene and cleanliness becomes a major issue soon after.

4. Sewage on road: Silchar has severe drainage issues; few hours of heavy rainfall results in waterlogging in several areas of the town. The administration cleans the sewage in the drain to avoid blockage, but the stinky impurities are often piled near the drain itself. Now, drains in Silchar are between roads and footpath, so people step on the sewage and vehicles drive over them, which results in the sewage spreading everywhere. These are stinky impurities, also known as paradise for pests and viruses, so with them, travel along deadly diseases.

 

5. Usage of plastic: Last but certainly not the least, usage of plastic. Plastic plates (thermocol ones) and disposable glasses are commonly used in weddings, pujas and other occasions. They are made for onetime use and hence thrown away. These are not biodegradable in nature and therefore blocks drainages if dumped, pollute the air if burnt.

We can control most of the above-mentioned issues and if we do that, then we can save ourselves from diseases and keep our city, valley clean and tidy. Now, do we want to walk on roads holding our breath or do we want to breathe freely in a clean and tidy city, it’s a choice we need to make…