PHED may ban sand mining along feeder river
SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister and in charge of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), R.C. Laloo, on Tuesday admitted in the Assembly that the life span of the dam of the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme is likely to be shortened to less than 50 years owing to the continuing environmental degradation and primarily siltation of the catchment areas of the feeder river.
“If siltation in the river goes on at the current rate then there is every possibility that the life span of the dam may be shortened,” he said in his reply to a question posed by UDP legislator Paul Lyngdoh, in the Assembly on Tuesday.
He added that the government will construct retaining dams in the catchment areas to prevent further siltation of the catchment areas of the feeder river.
However, the UDP legislator pointed out that others factors such as sand mining, washing of vehicles and dumping of waste near the feeder river were largely responsible and not just siltation alone for shortening the lifespan of the dam.
To this the Deputy Chief Minister assured that the department will ban sand mining in the catchment areas without affecting the livelihood of the people and also impose a ban on dumping of waste along the river.
