The Ward’s Lake is one of the most picturesque and scenic tourist spots cum family park in the city but over the years the beauty of the lake has taken a severe hammering.
The Lake which is quite famous in the domestic tourist circuit and which once took a place of pride in the hearts of Shillongites, is now gradually being reduced to an eyesore. Allaround the Lake, numerous establishments have cropped up, especially hotels, which has resulted in direct dumping of garbage and discharge of water waste both directly and indirectly into the Lake, thereby polluting its water.
A group of joggers who are regulars at the Ward’s Lake, which is located in one of the last remaining green zone in the Pine City, have taken cognizance of the deteriorating condition of the once pristine Lake and submitted a memorandum to the State Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong asking him to step in immediately to save the famous lake.
In the statement submitted to Tynsong and signed by a group of 48 joggers, they have requested the Government to stop the dumping of sewages and waste materials from the nearby establishments and surroundings into the Lake.
According to the joggers, the most alarming thing is that sewages are discharged through drains that are linked to the Lake.
“The environment of the lake has become filthy, stinking and the beauty too has been completely spoiled,” the memorandum added.
When contacted, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, VK Nautiyal, assured that stringent action would be taken against law breakers who try to spoil the beauty of the Lake.
“Law will take its own course and stringent action will be taken if anyone has done anything which is detrimental to the Lake,” Nautiyal added.
For now the people of the city are waiting and watching, hoping for a positive response from the Government which attaches great importance to promotion of tourism in Meghalaya.