By Our Reporter
in Mawlai. (ST)
SHILLONG: A chapter is about to be closed and confined to the pages of history. One more river is being driven to the brink. Um Thum-thum River in Mawlai is dying a slow death as a result of the depleting water resources and pollution that plagues the water body.
The decreasing water level at the Um Thum-thum has raised concerns among many. Lamenting the sorry state of the river, a resident of Mawlai, Kynton Massar, said he was born and brought up on the banks of the river which has been a part and parcel of his life. “I see a great chasm today when compared to what it (the river) was 20 years ago,” he said.
While recalling the ‘past glory’ of the river, senior residents of the locality said it pained them to see the present-day plight of this important water body in Mawlai.
The residents observed that cutting of trees and construction of houses along the river bank accelerated the abasement of the river. “Human needs and demands kept on increasing and no one cared for Mother Earth,” a resident said.
The people of Mawlai depended on the river for their survival. The Umsohlang water supply scheme, which banks on the river, supplied drinking water to practically all the households in Mawlai. But constant degeneration of the water body meant that water supplied to the households was muddy and unfit for drinking.
“Water borne diseases like Typhoid, Hepatitis A (Jaundice), skin diseases etc. are some of the threats faced by those who use the water,” said a doctor with the NEHU, Health Department.
The Um Thum-thum is also an important source of water for people who use the river water for washing clothes and earn a living from it. Extinction of the river will put these families in a quandary.
The river will continue to get drier unless steps are taken to preserve the water level. “We do not want the Um Thum-thum to go the Wah Umkhrah and the Um-shirpi way. The authorities should take stern steps to save the river,” a concerned senior resident of Mawlai said.