Govt mulls plan to rid Wah Ro Ro of garbage

SHILLONG, July 2: The state government will prepare a compendium on the feasibility of suitable treatment methods and a wire mesh trap at the Wah Ro Ro outfall in Umiam Lake to arrest the floating garbage, besides a robotic method of cleaning accumulated garbage at the trap.
The Urban Affairs department had recently floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) for preparation of proposal of suitable treatment method at the outfall of Wah Ro Ro to the Umiam Lake.
Originating from the foothills of Shillong peak, Wah Umshyrpi joins with Wah Umkhrah at the northwest direction of the city to form the Wah Ro Ro. The Wah Ro Ro then joins with Umiam river, which is the main source of water to Umiam reservoir.
As it flows through the heart of the city from Southeast to Northwest direction, it receives all types of wastes generated in the city either directly or through drains.
With this project, Urban Affairs department aims to restore the water quality of the two rivers and reduce the stinking by increasing the self-purification capacity, improving the aquatic life in the rivers by reducing the ecological toxicity and to get ecologically corrected water so as to reduce the organic matter load in Umiam lake.
It may be mentioned that the Centre has taken cognizance of the importance of water bodies and is pushing the rejuvenation agenda through various policies and programmes.