In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Committee on Environment and Climate Change conducted spot verifications of three major streams in Kohima on Thursday, signalling the start of an awareness campaign to address growing environmental degradation and climate change in the state, PTI reported.
The seven-member committee, headed by MLA Achumbemo Kikon, was constituted earlier this year by the Assembly Speaker and held its first official meeting on April 24. The panel includes MLAs and advisors working across environmental and developmental sectors.
As part of its first field visit, the committee inspected the Dzüvurü, Vurierü, and Sanuorü streams in and around the state capital. It also visited the solid waste management plant at Lerie and a waste segregation facility at Meriema, both constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission by the Urban Development Department.
Speaking to the media during the inspection, Chairman Achumbemo Kikon addressed the urgency of addressing environmental degradation and climate change. “The biggest challenge today is the degradation of the environment,” he said, noting that both natural ecosystems—like rivers and forests—and human-built infrastructure are at risk.
“We experience the effects of climate change every day,” he added.
Kikon said the committee interacted with local leaders from colonies and village councils to highlight the need for community participation in protecting water sources.
“There is a serious shortage of water in Kohima and across Nagaland,” he noted, urging citizens, municipal bodies, and village authorities to stop dumping plastic waste and sewage into rivers.
“We must all contribute to cleaning our rivers. Otherwise, the next global conflict may not be over oil or land, but water,” he cautioned.
Committee member and Advisor Zhaleo Rio, who accompanied the team, said four major sanitation and water treatment projects are underway in Kohima to intercept and treat contaminated water before it flows back into rivers. “We will release clean water back into rivers,” he said, especially stressing the importance of such systems during the dry season.
Rio also stated that the committee intends to expand its work beyond Kohima to other districts, including Dimapur, in line with directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). “This land is beautiful, but it’s being spoiled by our own actions,” he said.
The committee plans to hold multiple rounds of discussions and collaborate with 16 to 17 identified “line departments,” including forest, environment, urban development, agriculture, and fisheries. These departments will coordinate efforts to improve environmental health and build climate-resilient infrastructure across Nagaland.
Calling for a collective awakening, Kikon urged, “Let us all wake up from our deepest slumber and make our surroundings clean. If we act now, Nagaland can be more beautiful than Switzerland or Singapore.”
(With PTI inputs)