When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water – Benjamin Franklin
Jim Wright, a US Representative once said
“The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our survival is just as much at stake as it was at the time of Pearl Harbor, or the Argonne, or Gettysburg, or Saratoga.”
Turning to Shillong, one could say that the war is already upon us as day by day, water bodies are being reduced to nothing but ugly, filthy and muddy drains and the biggest challenge is how to restore these once pristine rivers to their former glory.
Bad road conditions, traffic jams, pollution, etc., are just some of the few problems faced by the people of Shillong but among these, water crisis has haunted the people to a great extent.
Local residents have been complaining about unsafe drinking water and diminishing water supply for domestic purposes.
Water scarcity is not a new issue in Shillong and this problem has been going on for quite a long time now. Unsafe drinking water, the main and much-debated topic in recent times is not only discussed in the government level but also in each and every locality.
When asked about one main problem faced by the people of Shillong at present, majority of their answer was water scarcity.
“We do get water supply in our houses, but it’s not enough and sufficient to sustain the need of the whole family and that too the condition of water being supplied is terrible,” a resident of Laban stated.
People have been complaining that the water that is being supplied by the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department is unfit for drinking and this is evident from the colour of the water and its taste.
“The colour is brownish and looks greasy and it is unimaginable to drink the water without boiling and even after boiling it, remnants of some dirty substances are still visible,” a resident from Mawlai said.
The PHE is blamed for such a lackadaisical attitude for not being able to maintain the reservoirs, the water pipes and the like.
Recently, an inspection conducted by the Mawlai Town Dorbar has unearthed this side of the PHE which clearly depicted its irresponsibility in maintaining, monitoring and cleaning water tanks and reservoirs which concerns the health of the public.
The question of scarcity of safe drinking water does not arise as it is evident from the recent CAG reports which stated that out of 30 river bodies in the state, 28 are unfit for drinking.
“Enough about what the government should do or should not do, I am only concerned about how are we, as concerned citizens going to solve this problem,” an elderly resident of Nongthymmai told this scribe.
He also added that if one can preserve the environment and water bodies, scarcity of water will not be a problem even though Shillong is undergoing tremendous change for the past few years.
Unfortunately, it seems that the scarcity of water would persist for some more time as the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) Phase III which is funded under JNNURM will be further delayed and the PHE department has sought extension till March 2013 for completion of the project.
In its effort to prevent the water ‘war’ from spreading, Shillong is striking back in the form of various campaigns like the Save Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi Campaign, awareness, projects and the like.
Only time will tell if these campaign are able to achieve anything meaningful. (By Ibankyntiew Mawrie)