SHILLONG, Feb 25: The committee constituted to prepare a roadmap for the preservation of Umiam Lake held its first round of preliminary talks on Friday and decided to go for a site inspection on March 1.
A division bench of the High Court of Meghalaya stated in an order that the state government has to chalk out a roadmap for the preservation of the larger water body and the smaller seasonal ones around the lake.
The government was also asked to demarcate zones where construction can be permitted at a distance of 150-200 meters from the edge of the water at its highest level, subject to conditions pertaining to sewage not seeping into the Umiam waters.
“We have drawn a preliminary plan and will go down to the lake, look at the different issues affecting the reservoir and take it forward for there,” Commissioner and Secretary of Forest and Environment Department, SMA Razi said after the meeting.
Razi is heading the nine-member committee which consists of officials from Forest, Urban Affairs, Fisheries, State Pollution Control Board, Tourism, MeECL, Shillong Municipal Board and the Autonomous District Councils.
The official said the committee will meet after the physical inspection and hopefully come out with a viable solution to preserve the reservoir and purity for all citizens of the state.
“We have tried to identify various issues affecting the water quality. All departments are giving their inputs. We will be able to give a concrete plan after the physical inspection on March 1,” he said.
Environmentalist and member of the committee, Naba Bhattacharjee said: “We are working on how to go about the master plan as pollutants from a huge catchment area of 220 sq. km fall into the 10 sq. km lake.”
He said both long-term and short-term measures have to be prepared and all the departments, stakeholders and civil society groups have to be taken on board to make it a success.
“Once we take care of Umiam, we have to think about Umiam without Wahumkhrah, Umshyrpi and other rivers,” Razi said, adding it would not be possible to start by cleaning the rivers first.
“Shifting of the garbage dump at Marten and all other parameters will also be discussed,” he said.
The high court had said the preservation of Umiam Lake is ‘vital’ as is the preservation of the delicate ecology surrounding the waters, including smaller seasonal water bodies that form, and the flora and fauna thereat.
