Saving the Wahumkhrah
While the State Government and different NGOs are making their best attempts to rescue the two important rivers — Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi — which are fighting a losing battle to rampant dumping of garbage and waste.
Recently a Save Wahumkhrah Campaign was launched by some NGOs of the city with the support of the KHADC and MUDA. The campaign has drawn up a long wish list of things to do and as precursor they have begun holding seminars, workshops, presentations and the likes. However, there are many residents of the city, who have observed that the two rivers can be saved only by taking some urgent steps instead of drawing up long-term measures.
This scribe spoke to certain stakeholders and sought their views on what they thought were the immediate measures that can be adopted to save the two rivers.
Here’s what they had to say:
Leader of Opposition Conrad Sangma: There has to be a three-level strategy to save the dying pride of Shillong. There should not be any more dumping by the people into the river, secondly the immediate cleaning up of the rivers must be taken up and thirdly the Government needs to organise more awareness programmes to educate people on the need to keep the rivers clean.
Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh: There must be immediate sanction of funds so that actual cleaning of the rivers begins. It’s a fact that nobody is going to clean it up free of cost. People residing along the rivers need to take a pledge that they will keep the rivers clean by not polluting it any more as there is no alternative if people themselves don’t want to keep the rivers clean.
Water Resources Minister and local MLA AL Hek: As an immediate measure the task force of ICARE along with different stakeholders will clean the Wahumkhrah river on June 5.
KSU president Daniel Khyriem: People should be sensitized not to throw any garbage and to prevent direct dumping of sewage into the rivers. The Dorbar Shnong should also hold meetings with the residents and direct them not to pollute the rivers anymore.
ICARE president Toki Blah, also chairperson of the Campaign: The issue of cleaning the rivers needs to be addressed right from the house-hold level. Everyone must be a stakeholder in this initiative as these rivers did not make themselves dirty but were polluted by the people. (By Aafaque Hussain)