JOWAI: The Lukha River under Narpuh Elaka in East Jaintia Hills District has changed its colour yet again. The water reportedly turned blue few days ago and killed huge number of fishes of all kinds all along the river.
The Lukha has been in the news since November 2007 when it changed its colour for the first time resulting in the death of thousands of fishes of all sizes and species.
Since 2007, the changing colour of the water has becomes an annual phenomena with the local populace blaming cement plants for the same.
On being informed by local residents of Sonapur, this scribe visited the area and witnessed the blue colour of the water.
According to locals, the entire stretch of Lukha right from a place called Krem Mahabon till Borosa has turned blue. Krem Mahabon is the confluence between Lukha and Lunar rivers.
A local resident who is also president in charge of the Jaintia Students’ Union, Wompubiang Lamare, informed that pollution on the Lukha start from the point where the Lukha meets the Lunar.
“Beyond the confluence, Lukha is still clear, clean and all fishes are also alive,” he claimed.
Lamare also alleged that all waste products from several of the cement plants located in East Jaintia Hills were disposed off into the Lunar which was subsequently polluting the Lukha.
The Krem Mahabon or Mahabon cave also is full of waste allegedly released from the cement plants, Lamare claimed.
Meanwhile another resident of Sonapur stated that during the Monsoon, the highly polluted water coming from inside the cave was merging with the water of the Lukha leading to additional pollution.
Interestingly, one Krim Sutnga claimed that he had bought the river on lease but had incurred huge loss in the process.
“I bought a part of the river called Chymphlong located near Chymphlong village after paying more than one lakh rupees to the JHADC which is the competent authority for control and management of all rivers in Jaintia Hills.
Selling of rivers on lease to individuals by the JHADC is a common practice aimed at generating revenue.
The local residents, meanwhile, have rubbished the report of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPBC) blaming unscientific coal mining for the change of colour of the river water.
Prior to the NGT ban on coal mining in the State, the MSPBC had prepared a report of its findings and blamed coal mining for contamination of the Lukha, but since the NGT ban has been in place for more than 18 months, the local residents are wondering whom the MSPCB will blame this time for the blue colour of the Lukha.
