By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Unregulated sand mining and stone quarrying activities alongside the Umtyngngar River is posing a serious threat to water bodies which feeds the Greater Shillong Water Supply Schemes at Mawphlang.
Despite the gloomy picture, the State Government is least bothered about putting a stop on the unregulated mining which is posing an imminent threat to the water bodies which are the source of potable drinking water for lakhs of inhabitants of the city.
With majority of the land in the State being owned by individuals or the community, stone and sand have been quarried with impunity in various places, leading to drying up of several catchment areas.
A group of journalist along with members of the Meghalaya People’s Environment Right’s Forum (MPERF) on Thursday undertook a tour to the areas along Umtyngngar and Umiew River to assess the damages caused by unrelenting mining activities.
During the tour, the journalist witnessed how the mud-spattered Umtyngngar River converges with Umiew River across which stands the dam that is the source for water under the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS).
The journalists also observed that trees were being mercilessly put to the axe while the hillocks dotting the area were being leveled for stone quarrying.
The ongoing mining activities are in blatant violation of the recent ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) across the country on mining or removal of sand from river beds.
The NGT’s recent directive was prompted by the suspension of Durga Shakti Nagpal, an IAS officer, who had taken on the sand mafia in Uttar Pradesh.
“I have a strong fear that Meghalaya might face the same fate like Uttarakhand due to this large-scale mining activity. Some immediate measures need to be adopted so as to prevent the reoccurrence of an Uttarakhand-like tragedy in the State,” MPERF president Naba Bhattacharjee said following the spot visit.
“What we are seeing in Meghalaya is purely a game of shifting responsibilities. There is also an overlapping of jurisdiction,” Bhattacharjee said, while lamenting that the District Councils have also closed their eyes and not taking any steps to protect the river bodies.
Highlighting the fact that the State Government has taken no initiative to regulate mining in Meghalaya despite the NGT directive, Bhattacharjee said that the NGT would be compelled to file a petition in the Supreme Court if the State fails to comply with the NGT directive within 90 days from the date of the order.
Stating that certain areas may be identified from where sand and stone can be extracted, Bhattacharjee said vulnerable areas like those along the rivers should be cleared of all mining activities.
Over and above, alternative employment to the affected labourers should be provided to compensate for the loss once sand and stone quarrying is banned, he added.
It may not be entirely true to state that the State Government has done nothing to regulate mining activities in Meghalaya. The government had, last year, notified the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority with former Chief Secretary HWT Syiem as the Chairman.
To assist the Authority, the State Expert Appraisal Committee was also notified with D Wanswett, Principal of Synod College, as the Chairman.
Surprisingly, there has been no noise made by these panels as far as damage to the environment is concerned.
Undoubtedly, sand and stone quarrying has been a source of income for several families for years now.
While interacting with a daily wage labourer at a quarry situated along the Umtyngngar river, he revealed that at least six truckload of sand is being sold from the quarry on a daily basis with each truckload fetching Rs. 1,600. There are at least 20 people working in the quarry.
While such quarrying activities may not be out rightly halted at the moment, sand mining from river beds could definitely be banned in accordance with the Tribunal order, the visiting team observed.