SHILLONG, March 7: In 2019, a plastic tsunami which filled up the Umiam Lake following heavy rainfall pushed the Meghalaya High Court to take suo-moto action and take the State Government to task. It is a known fact that the garbage thrown by uncaring citizens into the major rivers and their tributaries flowing through Shillong city is what finally lands up at the Umiam Lake. Despite the garbage collection system being in place in all localities in the Greater Shillong agglomerate, a walk through Nongmynsong to Polo reveals huge mounds of garbage discarded by shops owners and residents living in the area.
When rivers are used as sewers and garbage dumps it means that citizens are grossly at fault and the system has failed to rein them in. This is also a major fault-line in civic governance beyond the areas under the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) which are under the jurisdiction of the Dorbar Shnong. Interestingly, the Khasi Hills District Council has time and again asserted its jurisdiction on rivers and even attempted to clean up the Wah Umkhrah but it became another failed attempt.
Operation Clean-up an initiative started by The Shillong Times in August 2019 to clean up Shillong, is now running on its own steam. Several groups such as Team Jiva, MakeSomeoneSmile (Ms2) Cleansmann, CSSC, a security company, Naga Students Union of Shillong and recently the Meghalaya Home Guards and educational institutions such as Kiddies Corner, Bethany Society, Women’s College and well-intentioned individuals continue to labour on trying to clean the Umkaliar River with the hope that the garbage is stalled and does not reach the Umkhrah River to finally land up at the already heavily silted Umiam Lake.
Leading the charge this time was Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills, Isawanda Laloo who was shocked by the mountain of garbage both in the River and surrounding it. On the way to the Umkaliar is a large ground, which The Shillong Times is informed is disputed land. This no-man’s land is a garbage dump in itself with mounds of white plastic pouches holding the locally made liquor are strewn around for others to pick up. On Saturday, March 6 during the cleaning drive that ground was being readied for a Seng Khasi function. The question that arises is – if the field is on disputed land then who grants permission for holding such functions. And if people hold ‘religious’ functions then is it not their duty to keep the place clean?
In the past, the Dorbar Shnong was invited each time a river cleaning drive was organised but barring one or two concerned citizens none would turn up. The only time the Rangbah Shnong of Nongmynsong turned up was when Governor Tathagata Roy and the former DC Matsiewdor War attended the cleaning drive. After that it has been a lonely journey for the Operation Clean-up team.
On Saturday, Deputy Commissioner, Isawanda Laloo, donning gum boots and gloves waded into the river picking up garbage. She also spoke to the dozens of women washing clothes in the river and asked them why they did not participate in the river clean-up. The women were too engrossed with their task to respond to her. Many did not even know what the word ‘Deputy Commissioner’ actually meant.
Later Ms Laloo told the Operation Clean-up team that she would support the river clean-up cause in whatever way she could and take up the issue of long term waste management at source for the localities upstream, even while enforcing stringent enforcement of ‘polluters pay principle,’ and also look at river embankment and river front beautification plan.
) It may be mentioned that the Umkaliar is fed by tributaries from the Umkdait and other streams flowing through Nongrah, Rynjah, Umpling etc. At each of these places there is massive pollution (dumping of garbage into the streams) especially in the border between Umpling and Nongmynsong near the BSF campus. Unless a coordinated effort is made to involve all the Dorbar Shnongs concerned the task would remain a daunting one.
Meanwhile the Operation Clean-up team plods on with the fond hope that they will succeed to leave behind a cleaner environment for the future generation. Brian Wahlang a founder member of Operation Clean-up and his students who have been involved in the clean-up from the very beginning with his students says, “ Cleaning up rivers and surroundings is what should constitute Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW). I am surprised that no other school is participating in this onerous task. Actually this is SUPW in action!”
Jiwat Vaswani and his Team Jiva are also founder members of Operation Clean-up and diligently clean up not just rivers but also different parts of the city on a daily basis.
On Saturday last the Meghalaya Home Guards team of 30 members made the task somewhat less strenuous for the Operation Clean-up team. The presence of the JCBs and the team from SMB also made a huge difference. Each time Operation Clean-Up ends with the promise, “We Shall Overcome”