By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: After launching the ‘Clean Wahumkhrah Mission’ on Friday last, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is now contemplating to come up with a bill for protection of the river.
“We need to have some kind of law to equip the Council with a tool to have a better say in the protection of this very important river which has become polluted due to various human activities and we have already started formulating the bill,” KHADC CEM Pynshngaiñ N Syiem told reporters recently.
Syiem informed that the proposed bill would also address the issue of encroachment along the river which according to him has been majorly responsible for the present state of the water body.
Meanwhile, official sources in the KHADC informed that the Council had earlier planned to come with bye laws for the protection of the water bodies and resources as per the provisions of Paragraph 6 of the Sixth Schedule.
“Paragraph 6 empowers the Council to regulate and control the water bodies which fall under the jurisdiction of the KHADC,” official sources said while adding that the KHADC is also planning to identify few prominent rivers which fall under the Council.
“After the identification, the Council would adopt some stringent rules to restrict activities which hamper and pollute the river. The Council wants to act before it’s too late,” sources said.
Few of the activities that would be restricted to prevent pollution of the river includes killing of animals close to the river, release of waste and carrying out of mining activities.
Citing an example, sources said that the Ranikor and Kynshi River in West Khasi Hills face a serious threat due to unhealthy practices in adjoining areas.
Besides protecting of the rivers, the Council is also committed to safeguarding the various streams, catchments areas and other sources of drinking water, sources said.
Earlier, the North East Space Aeronautical Centre (NESAC), Umiam had helped the Council in surveying of the water bodies in Khasi Hills.
The KHADC had even sought assistance from the Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPRs) on water resource management which would be taken up by the Council.
The DPR was supposed to be submitted to the Union Ministry of Water Resource Management for approval of the project.