Action needed to tackle waste in Dimapur zoo area

DIMAPUR — Workers at the Nagaland Zoological Park are trying their best to maintain a clean environment, but some “uncivilised” visitors still refuse to use the provided dustbins.

Inside the zoo, the grounds are neatly kept, with no scattered garbage. However, beside the parking area entrance, garbage piles up. Even in the parking lot itself, where street vendors operate, water bottles and sweet wrappers litter the ground despite the presence of dustbins.

Security guards and vendors end up cleaning the area after the zoo closes. But worryingly, the waste beside the highway near the parking lot entrance remains untouched, as no one takes responsibility for cleaning it.

During a visit on Sunday (Aug. 11), the zoo saw numerous visitors. Inside, multiple dustbins were strategically placed, and it appeared quite clean. Most waste, primarily plastic bottles, was disposed of properly.

Zoo staff shared that they check visitors’ bags at the entrance, prohibiting plastic items except for one-litre (or larger) water bottles, which are recyclable.

Three times a week, before the zoo opens, sweepers meticulously clean the grounds, collecting and disposing of the garbage. The zoo has its own pit for burning garbage, and recyclable plastics are collected separately, they said.

While weekdays see fewer visitors, the weekends bring a surge in attendance, and with it, sweet vendors set up shop in the parking lot. These vendors claimed that they clean their areas before leaving, and they also work with security personnel to clean the entire parking lot after closing time.

Despite the dustbins, this reporter witnessed some visitors carelessly tossing popsicle wrappers and other plastic waste on the ground. Additionally, waste was observed piled up behind the zoo boundary along the highway.

In this connection, the zoo staff maintained that with only two plastic collectors, keeping up with the volume of waste is difficult even inside the zoo. They also emphasised that security personnel are only responsible for the parking lot area and cannot clean beyond the zoo’s boundaries.