Shillong: The Meghalaya government is using the power of artificial intelligence to collect waste and this was demonstrated recently at the Umiam Lake.
An AI-integrated marine robotic boat floated on the lake at Kyndong Rella in Mawdun area for waste collection. The initiative was spearheaded by the Government of Meghalaya under its Smart Village Movement initiative in collaboration with technology partner Clearbot.
Meghalaya, especially the urban pockets like Shillong and tourist-heavy sites such as the Umiam Lake, is struggling to manage solid and liquid waste which has led to immeasurable environmental hazards. All the city’s waste is taken to a landfill at Martin on the outskirts of Shillong. Much of the waste, including plastic, goes into the lake.
However, with the new technology, the state government looks to make a change. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said, “In a landmark step towards advancing waste management practices, an innovative demonstration featuring an AI-Integrated marine robotic boat for floating waste collection took place at Kyndong Rella in the Mawdun Area of Umiam Lake. This indeed is an innovative way to address environmental challenges.”
The post about the initiative was largely appreciated on social media. But there were criticisms too. A social media user wrote, “We can do away with all this if the Government was proactive in dealing with the solid waste management around the City, this will be a futile attempt and the waste of energy if the indiscriminate dumping of solid waste and plastic continue to the water bodies and drains.”
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