By HH Mohrmen
The growing numbers of community-led River Protection and Conservation movements in Meghalaya are good omens and a ray of hope for the state in general and the people in the area in particular, mainly because water is the basis of life on earth. A program entitled Rally for Umngi: A River Conservation Movement organised by Friends of the Umngi River on October 21 at the Synod College, Shillong is perhaps the first meeting of its kind where community leaders had the opportunity to learn from experts on the need and benefit of protecting our river system.
The movement for conservation of Umngi is unique because it is not only community-based but it is also community-led where more than 20 villages form the integral part of the project and the government through the office of the SDO Ranikor C&RD Civil Sub Division under the leadership of FB Basan and the DC South West Khasi hills are supporting the campaign. It is a movement in which the villages, the Raij and the hima in the area have taken upon themselves the responsibility to protect and conserve the approximately 50 km long stretch of the downstream segment of the Umngi River.
The Friends of the Umngi River (FoTUR) with the help of the District Administration of South West Khasi hills were able to stop poachers who use dynamite and illegal substances to indiscriminately kill fishes in the river. It was heartening to know that FoTUR not only works to protect and conserve the river Umngi, but it also conducts studies to understand the entire river system. Studies have been done on the aquatic life in the area by Robert Basan who is one of the leaders of the FoTUR. Perhaps it is also not out of place to mention that in the community’s effort to protect the river, Robert was even attacked by unscrupulous elements in the community who were against this noble endeavour.
It was also inspiring to know that colleges like the Synod College and St. Anthony’s College under the leadership of their respective teachers have also done a lot of studies on the river system and the aquatic lives in some areas of the state. Dr Bashida Massar, Assistant Professor, St. Anthony’s college who is from Lapalang a border village in the East Khasi hills District had done a commendable job of documenting the fishes in the two rivers in the area namely Rymben and Borhil and Dr Richard Lyngdoh Assistant Professor, Synod college, Shillong informed that currently students from Synod college are engaged in a similar project at Darang village of West Jaintia hills district.
Part of Dr Massar’s project which was supported by UGC was also to make students aware of the river system and the variety of fishes that are available in the area. Dr Massar also engaged students from the local schools in the project. She was surprised to learn that the local students have more knowledge about the river and the fishes in the area. Her plan was to get her work which includes the fishes she had studied and the indigenous knowledge related to rivers and the aquatic life in the area published in the near future.
Dr Massar’s other objectives include the starting of a conservation project in the area in-situ to protect the diverse aquatic lives in the different rivers of the area. Some of the fishes that we have in the area like the chocolate mahseer are in the list of endangered species as per the IUCN red list and she hopes that with the support of the community they will be able to protect the various fish species in the area without disturbing their habitat.
I picked this phrase, ‘Love Story of the Earth,’ from the Shillong Terra Madre Festival organised by NESFAS last time and I am beginning to see many love stories between people and mother earth budding and blooming in different nooks and corners of the state.
Another example of such love story is the conservation and protection efforts by the Jaintia Fishing and Environment Society. The organisation has successfully conserved the stretch of river Myntdu which goes around Jowai town. The organisation’s recent project was improvement of one portion of the river while giving more focus on the historic Syntu Ksiar. JFES has been able to creat a recreation space on this portion of the river which also adds to the beauty of the area which is already a prominent tourist spot in the state.
The area already has a tomb in memory of u Kiang Nangbah, the Madiah Kmai Blai which is a portion of Myntdu where the legendary freedom fighter proved his mettle to lead the fight against the British and the archery competition which happens in the afternoon. The organisation made a blanket ban on fishing on the Syntu Ksiar part of Myntdu and now the fish population has increased to such an extent that it has become a selling point for tourism.
But Myntdu is also a story of a river which has to bear the brunt of abuse and fed with pollution from Acid Mine Drainage, therefore downstream of the river is where the no life forms can survive. Its water is not fit for human consumption anymore. The rivers in Jaintia hills are a classic case of how the upper riparian population can jeopardize all the efforts made by the lower riparian residents. The lesson we learn from Jaintia hills is that if any river is to be protected it has to start from the source and continue till its last point. Therefore Robert Basan the leader of FoTUR is right to be concerned about the way people who live upstream of the river Umngi treat the River.
As per the Sixth Schedule rivers are subject of the District Councils and protection conservation of the rivers is the Councils’ mandate, but till now none of the ADCs have legislated any law to this effect. In Jaintia hills the JHADC use to annually award the river on lease to the highest bidder. The businessman meanwhile will always try to extract maximum profit from the deal including using dynamite and chemicals. Now is this (mass killing of fishes in the river) in the interest of the tribals? The ADCs should come up with policies and formulate rules to protect and preserve the rivers in their r respective jurisdiction keeping the interest of the tribal people in mind.
If the councils or the state government fail in their duty to protect the rivers then the judiciary will have no other option but to step in as the NGT has done so in the case of upstream of Myntdu River which flows around Jowai. Thanks to the NGT order, now construction in a distance of 500 meters from the body of the Myntdu River is strictly prohibited. And if this order is implemented in letter and spirit then Myntdu will at least be saved from going the Wah Umkhrah way as no construction can be made in within the prescribed limit.
FoTUR is one story that needs to be told and replicated. We therefore need to include more friends of the Umngi River throughout its length and breadth if we are to really protect the river. In fact why should it only be Umngi River? We need to start more friends of the river organisations all across the state which will work to protect all the rivers.
Hopefully government will also render its support to such efforts to protect and conserve rivers all in the state and it should also insist that the project should always be community –led because once it is led by the community then that itself will ensure community ownership. FoTUR has done a commendable job and it ought to be recommended for the award for protection and conservation from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, to serve as a role model for all.