On a typical working day, 40-year-old Seyievio begins his journey from Kigwema around 9:00 AM, setting out to reach his office in the Nagaland Secretariat, Kohima—roughly 20 kilometres away. What should be a smooth 45-minute drive often stretches to one or two hours, especially during peak hours. The bottlenecks in Kohima town are no surprise to him anymore. “It’s predictable. I’ve normalised the traffic jams,” he said, resignedly.
Driving his modest XUV from home to office and back, Seyievio consumes approximately five litres of petrol daily, translating to a monthly fuel expense of around Rs 10,000. For someone who regularly travels long distances, public transportation, while available, isn’t always cost-effective or convenient. The limited reach of city buses, high taxi fares, and inconsistent frequency of services render it an impractical option for many commuters.
Even though Kohima is a relatively small town, public transport options do exist—from city buses to four-wheeler and two-wheeler taxis. However, the cost can range drastically, depending on distance and location. For short distances of just 1-2 kilometres, fares may go from Rs 10 to a whopping Rs 150.
Kevi, a resident of Lerie colony who doesn’t own a personal vehicle, relies on taxis for her daily commute. “I spend around Rs 120 to Rs 200 every day,” she explained. Her route involves boarding a shared taxi from Lerie to BoC for Rs 40, and then hopping on a bus from Phq Junction to Razou point for Rs 20. But when in a hurry, Kevi prefers the two-wheeler taxi. “It’s quicker, though more expensive. From BoC to Razou, the fare is Rs 100,” she said.
In contrast, entrepreneur and consultant Yanpvuo Kikon has opted for a more sustainable lifestyle. “If the destination is within 5 kilometres, I prefer walking or cycling,” he said. Having cycled even to the New Secretariat and other major offices located about 10 kilometres away, Kikon pointed out both the advantages and challenges of cycling in a hilly city like Kohima. “Going downhill is fun—faster than a car sometimes—but coming uphill is tough. While cycling from Raj Bhavan to the Secretariat, it took me just 20 minutes. In a car, that same trip can take up to an hour. But mountain biking to work isn’t for everyone—only for the adventurous or borderline eccentric,” he laughed.
Despite such individual efforts and alternatives, the issue persists. According to the National Family Health Survey 2019-21, Nagaland has the highest percentage of car-owning households in the Northeast, and ranks among the top six states nationally.
In Kohima, this rise in vehicle ownership has led to alarming statistics. Data from the District Transport Office (DTO) shows that over 2,000 new private Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) are registered annually. In just the first four months of 2024, 824 LMVs were added to the city’s roads. Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 9,841 LMVs were registered.
The trend extends to public transport too. In 2023 alone, 255 new local taxi permits were issued—more than any year in the past five years. The city now sees 74 city buses and over 2,000 local taxis operating on its roads.
This vehicular surge is the key contributor to one of Kohima’s growing problems: air pollution.
According to K Hukato Chishi, member secretary of the Nagaland Pollution Control Board, Kohima does not suffer from industrial emissions like many other Indian cities. The main contributors to air pollution in Nagaland are vehicular emissions and the dust raised by their constant movement. He pointed out that air quality deteriorates the most during daytime, when the volume of traffic is highest.
Both Kohima and Dimapur have been placed under the category of non-attainment cities by the Government of India for five consecutive years. This classification indicates that these cities have failed to meet the national ambient air quality standards for particulate matter.
Launched in 2019 by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aims to reduce particulate matter (PM10) levels by 40 per cent by the year 2026. Kohima has taken a series of steps under this initiative, including the installation of four Respirable Dust Samplers (RDS) and two manual air quality monitoring stations.
Data gathered from these monitoring stations shows varied trends. At the Nagaland State Transport office, the PM10 concentration reduced from 75 to 67 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) from 2020 to 2023. PWD Junction showed a positive trend too, dropping from 96 to 71. However, High School Junction recorded an increase from 95 to 106, while Upper Midland saw a rise from 54 to 64.
Globally, Kohima’s air quality is still a concern. According to the 2023 World Air Quality Report by IQAir, Kohima ranked 465th among 7,812 cities. Its PM2.5 level stood at 33.9 µg/m³, which is nearly seven times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit.
Efforts to ease traffic and reduce emissions have been prioritised under the Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL). One of its flagship projects is the development of Multi-Level Parking (MLP) facilities across town, budgeted at Rs 90 crore. These structures, once completed, are expected to accommodate around 500 vehicles and help declutter roads, thereby increasing the Right of Way and improving traffic flow.
However, urban planner Boka Rochill offers a critical view. According to him, increasing parking spaces might ironically encourage more private car ownership—a phenomenon known as ‘induced traffic’. He believes that Kohima’s real problem lies not just in traffic volume or air pollution, but in the city’s inherent constraints. Built into hilly terrain, Kohima’s roads are narrow and have limited scope for widening.
While NCAP remains the central framework for improving air quality, complementary activities have also been carried out. These include training programs for public officials, cleanliness and plantation drives, emission checks through mobile testing units, and awareness campaigns in schools and institutions. Kohima has also embraced urban greening by installing vertical gardens at sites like the NBCC Convention Centre and the Naga Hospital. These gardens, with air-purifying plants, aim to filter pollutants while beautifying public spaces.
But cleaner air isn’t just about infrastructure—it demands a shift in attitude. Voices like Rochill and Kikon argue for the importance of behavioral change. They stress the need for regular public transport, better last-mile connectivity, and most importantly, a walking- and cycling-friendly environment.
“A radical approach to reduce congestion,” says Kikon, “is to promote e-Governance. Most people are driving to submit forms or access services that could be digitised. If we can do these tasks online, we’ll reduce time, fuel, and vehicular emissions significantly.”
Kohima, then, stands at a crossroads. As it grapples with the double burden of growing traffic and worsening air quality, the road ahead must be one of innovation, collective responsibility, and bold, systemic change.
Because in a city perched in the hills, the fight for clean air begins not just in policy halls—but on the streets, in everyday commutes, and in the choices of people like Seyievio, Kevi, Yanpvuo, and countless others navigating Kohima’s complex terrain.
This article is part of our series on how India moves, which looks at the relationship between air quality and human mobility in cities and towns.