By Our Reporter
Shillong: Two weeks ago the residents of Lumiablot (Nongthymmai) found their taps had suddenly gone dry. They thought it was some temporary hitch and that the water would be restored. But there was no water for the next five days.
Residents called up the Rangbah Shnong, R Dkhar, but he too said he would send the plumbers to detect the fault. After that there was no feedback and no water.
The residents then sent an SOS message to their MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh. She in turn called up the Executive Engineer, PHE, S Lyngdoh, who informed that the PWD was undertaking some road repair works through the areas where the pipes bringing water to the Lumiablot tank were laid. Hence the pipes were temporarily disconnected.
Meanwhile on the seventh day, the local MLA urged the PHE to pump water into the Lumiablot tank from alternative sources. Since then and up to the present time, the residents get not more than three buckets of water a day.
“How can a family of eight survive on three or four buckets of water?” an irate mother asked.
Women are the worst hit because they need maximum water. On Saturday evening a group of women went to the Rangbah Shnong’s residence yet again but found him prevaricating. They could not understand what he was driving at. But what they could gather was that the Shnong did not have enough money to conduct regular repair work to improve water supply.
The women returned dismayed. Their contention is that if the Shnong has failed to provide water it should say so and the Government should step in with emergency measures. Much of Lumiablot, particularly the localities of Pohktieh and Dum Dum, are not accessible to water tankers. Hence people buy water from water carriers at Rs 15 per tin (20 litres). But not all can afford this.
A teacher ruing her plight said, ‘The Government spends crores of rupees towards financing the PHE but where is the water? That’s the basic minimum service that Government is expected to provide to the citizens.”
Meanwhile, local MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh says she has been trying to meet the PHE Minister, Shitlang Pale to take up this issue but has not been able to do so as yet. On Wednesday evening, Lyngdoh said she would be meeting the Minister.
The irked residents of Lumiablot feel that PHE owes an explanation to the public if the Department is temporarily disconnecting the pipes for repair works. Normally when water supply is disrupted in the leading localities of Shillong the public is informed through newspapers. They question why PHE does not explain why their taps have run dry.
Incidentally, only the women seem perturbed by the water crisis.
The Shnong has not met on this issue as yet.