Editor,
Arunachal Pradesh has long been romanticised as the last bastion of pristine nature in India. With the lowest population density in the country, logic dictates that our ecological footprint should be minimal.
Yet, a walk through the streets of Itanagar, Pasighat, or even our district headquarters reveals a grim reality that contradicts this image. The Land of the Rising Sun is rapidly becoming a land of rising refuse, where civic apathy has become the great equaliser.
We are witnessing a tragic paradox: while our population remains sparse, our pollution is dense. The time has come to hold a mirror to our society and demand strict legislative intervention.
The most visible casualty of this negligence is our river systems. Not long ago, the rivers of Arunachal were sources of potable water; one could drink directly from the stream without fear. Today, these same waters are often unfit even for bathing.
This degradation is a two-fold assault. First, rivers have become convenient dumping grounds for individual households and, shamefully, often for civic bodies themselves. Second, we cannot ignore the environmental cost of unchecked religious rituals. While faith is deeply personal, its environmental impact is public. Our rivers face an annual onslaught of idol immersions – Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Vishwakarma Puja – where plaster of Paris, lead-based paints, and non-biodegradable decorations are submerged without restriction. We are systematically choking the very water sources that sustain us.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of our littering crisis is that it transcends class and education. In terms of civic sense, the distinction between a graduate and an uneducated citizen has blurred into non-existence. It is a common sight to see a luxury car window roll down to eject a plastic wrapper, just as easily as a pedestrian might toss waste on the sidewalk.
We see well-dressed, educated individuals spitting gutka on freshly painted walls and public corridors. The rich and the poor are contributing equally to the degradation of our state. Education, it seems, has failed to instil a basic respect for public spaces. When the ‘cream’ of society litters with the same impunity as the uninformed, it signals a complete collapse of social responsibility.
While citizens are culpable, our municipalities cannot escape blame. The civic bodies charged with waste management are often visible only in their inefficiency. Overflowing dumpsters, irregular collection cycles, and the lack of scientific waste processing are rampant. When the custodians of cleanliness fail to discharge their duties sincerely, they tacitly encourage the public to follow suit.
We can no longer rely on ‘awareness campaigns’ or moral appeals. They have failed. The Government of Arunachal Pradesh must intervene with the iron hand of the law. We need a stringent anti-littering and public hygiene Act that speaks the only language that seems to work: heavy financial penalties.
The following steps should be taken under such legislation:
1. Individual violations: The act of throwing a single sweet wrapper in a public space should attract an immediate fine of Rs 1,000.
2. Public defacement: Spitting gutkha or betel nut juice in public areas should carry a fine of Rs 2,000.
3. Institutional accountability: Most importantly, civic bodies and agencies must be held liable. If a municipality fails to clear garbage or manage waste sites effectively, they should face heavy penalties, upwards of Rs 50,000 per violation.
We cannot claim to be a proud tribal state that respects nature while simultaneously turning our home into a garbage dump. The pristine air and water of our forefathers are disappearing. If we do not tax pollution now, our future generations will pay a price far higher than any fine.
Gedak Taipodia,
Kangku circle,
Lower Siang