Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) announced it will enforce a four‑category waste segregation system and impose penalties after completing ward‑level training, CEO Alemyapang Longchar told the Nagaland Post. The council’s core duties include sanitation and market regulation, and the new rules will be strictly implemented and monitored. The shift will replace the current wet‑dry classification with wet, dry, sanitary and hospital waste.
Training has already covered five of KMC’s 19 wards, with the remaining wards scheduled to finish in the coming days. Once the training and awareness process is complete, the council will begin levying penalties for non‑compliance. The goal is to ensure every household and establishment segregates waste into the four designated categories.
Longchar explained that the Dzüruzou landfill is intended as a scientific facility for segregation and processing, not a dumping ground. He said about 90% of collected waste is recycled or reused in various forms, leaving roughly 10% as residual waste. Kohima generates 64–65 tonnes of waste daily, split roughly 35 tonnes of dry waste and 30 tonnes of wet waste.
The council employs around 90 sanitation workers who clean different parts of the city each day and receive regular pay. However, KMC faces financial difficulties, lacking a dedicated budget and relying on assistance from the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs departments, which is insufficient. To improve waste management and generate revenue, KMC is negotiating with private companies for wet‑waste and dry‑waste handling and plans to introduce a nominal tipping fee at the Lerie treatment plant starting October 1.
Longchar also clarified that KMC does not collect parking taxes directly; instead, parking spaces are leased for three to six months and then renewed. Regarding market regulation, KMC records show about 9,000 shops in Kohima, with roughly 6,000 having renewed licences and 3,000 either not renewed or closed. Market prices remain relatively stable compared with Dimapur, with the last revision in July and a review underway.
