Kohima: Nagaland’s latest report to the National Green Tribunal reveals a messy reality. The state’s 39 Urban Local Bodies generated 255.903 tonnes of solid waste daily from January to June 2026. Only 182.100 tonnes were collected each day. Officials claim 164.311 tonnes of that total reached transport channels. The state acknowledges a persistent 28.8 percent gap in collection coverage.
Waste management efforts remain uneven. The state successfully remediated 66,253 metric tonnes of legacy waste across 12 sites, hitting a 16 percent completion rate. Work continues in Kohima, Kiphire, Pfutsero, and Peren. Fresh assessments for Kohima and Dimapur now reflect 2026 data after the tribunal rejected outdated 2022 figures. Still, the state lacks any facility for refuse-derived fuel. Recovered materials currently sit in storage until they can be hauled to the Dalmia Cement plant in Meghalaya.
Bureaucracy moves slowly. The state opened the Nagaland Waste Management Fund on September 7, 2026. While the government proposed a 200 crore rupee ring-fenced budget, the Finance Department has only deposited one crore. No money has been spent yet. Guidelines for the fund remain stuck in the approval phase.
Water quality remains a point of contention. The government claims drain water in 18 municipalities meets safety standards. Individual lab reports tell a different story. A Tamlu sample showed high iron, lead, and pH levels that defy state claims. The Tribunal’s observations note that "continuing gaps in daily waste processing could add fresh waste to existing legacy dumps." These failures leave uncollected refuse to potentially contaminate local water bodies as the state struggles to close the loop on its waste infrastructure.
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