H.H. Mohrmen
Meghalaya is in a sticky situation where as somebody said we are experiencing scarcity amidst plenty. We are a green state but we have grey areas too. We have forests and the green rolling hills and yet some of our rivers are polluted to the extent that no aquatic life can exist in the river and streams. Ours is a perfect example of a journey to perfection amidst imperfection; we have destructive mining and we have stories of environment conservation efforts too which could also be models for the world at large.
Forests were cleared to make way for various human activities and particularly in the towns forest is being replaced by concrete jungle. We must have seen with our own eyes that ponds and tanks in our neighbourhoods or places that we frequent have gradually dried up. In Jowai a classic case in point is the ‘Nan Pakopati’ in front of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council office. In spite of the council wasting lakhs of rupees to beautify it, the pond dug by the legendary u Ran Niangti is no longer filled with water but is instead overgrown with grass.
Rivers are getting polluted and the water levels have dipped due to the disappearance of the forests which used to be like a catchment area which feeds water to the rivers. Sand and stone mining also has a drastic affect on the water level of the river because of silting. This is happening right in front of our eyes and at an alarming rate. Springs have disappeared and even in places where springs still exist, the discharge has gone down drastically as villages and towns have grown. Springs which used to be the only source of water in the locality cannot support human needs anymore because spring-sheds are no longer supporting the spring. This is according to the study made by the Institute of Natural Resource Management under the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihoods Promotion program.
And as the population grows and villages get bigger and big villages transform into towns and towns turn to cities, greenery and water bodies are the first casualty of the unplanned development. We are all witnessing rapid disappearance of water bodies and green cover in villages and towns and the scenario is repeated almost everywhere at a much more alarming rate.
Yet, in spite of all this depressing development, our hope lies with some visionary communities, particularly those who are involved in conserving the rivers and the forest around them. At times it looks like there is no hope left and it is all dark and gloomy everywhere as far as environment is concerned. We also often conclude that the system failed to produce the required results and we do not see any hope of saving our environment, but there is always a silver-lining beyond the dark clouds. In fact our strength is in the kind of communities that we have and these communities have a workable grass-root governance system in place and have come up with a successful conservation activity which could also be a model for others. It is also true that the communities where the conservation efforts are reported to be successful are also places where the local durbar works like a well-oiled machine. Conservation is also successful because, it is in the blood of the Khasi Pnar people. They have been conserving forest and water for community use and for religious and spiritual purposes from ages. In fact conservation is a common practice of the people in the area and if we look carefully it starts with preserving of seeds and sharing them with our neighbours, friends and families.
There are hundreds of sacred groves and community forests maintained by the Raid and Eleka in the Khasi Pnar part of the state and one can find these forests of various shapes and sizes dotting the entire landscape of the state. But keeping sacred groves and community forests are stories which are reported on a regular basis and the world knows about it, but the stories of how communities successfully protect and preserve rivers and water bodies do not get the kind of publicity they deserve.
The story of Amlayea community fish sanctuary at Nongbareh village is a classic case study of how the sole objective of the sanctuary is for the welfare of the entire community. The tradition is that one can catch fish from the sanctuary only if someone in the family falls ill or gets sick or for community purposes.
In recent times conservation efforts made by the Jaintia Fishing and Environment Protection Society to protect the river Myntdu is now bearing fruit. That we still have fishes in the river is only because of the efforts made by the society and now Jaintia Fishing and Environment Protection Society has declared Syntu Ksiar as a fish sanctuary and fishing is prohibited on this part of the river.
The Dorbar Shnong of Shangpung has declared certain sections of the river in the village as fish sanctuary and conserves the same religiously and then there is a story of the Dorbar Shnong Shnongpdeng and the protection of the Masiah part of the river Umngot. Then the Raid Buam and Krangshuri and these are only few that one can name and that too from the district of West Jaintia hills only. These projects have succeeded because there is workable partnership between the communities and the government agencies and in this case the fisheries department. We have stories of a community effort to protect the fishes particularly the Mahseer in the river Umngi and the list endless.
Our success is not limited to river and water bodies only. There are stories of successful conservation of forest and wildlife in the sacred groves of raid Chyrmang, Tuber, Mokhaïalong of both East and West Jaintia hills. All these conservation efforts did not happen in a day. It is the untiring efforts of these communities which brought these projects to fruition. Our strength is in the community and it is only when we have a community which realises the importance of conservation of the environment that we can bring change. In all these cases the Wild Life Department of these respective districts are the force behind the success of these efforts.
There are stories of how people meticulously preserve their root-bridges and in Kudeng-rim the community is growing a new two storied root-bridge. The community nurseries and the planting of indigenous variety of saplings in the catchment area is also a commendable conservation effort which needs to be duly recognised.
The immediate need is to encourage more communities to engage in conservation and there are several ways that we can do this. The first thing that the different government agencies can do is to capacitate the community. This is the first step in the partnership. Earlier the departments were not forthcoming but now government departments are not averse to convergence and the District Basin Development Units are the driving force of most of the convergence that is happening in the state.
But the most important part that the government can play is to recognise these conservation efforts and perhaps even reward the communities for their achievements by instituting a kind of Green Award and publicising the event. Again the DBDUs are the best agencies to scout and develop parameters to decide on the individual or institution that can be nominated as a contender for the state award from their respective districts. This award will go a long way in empowering the awardees as well as inspire others to start conservation projects in their area.