From Our Correspondent
TURA, Jan 19: The much spoken of Jal Jeevan Mission in the state of Meghalaya has continued to be in the news for all the wrong reasons and going by the way it is being implemented, will continue to remain so for some time to come. The latest disruption of a completely normal water supply after the implementation of JJM is in the villages of Ildek Akong and Tingbagittim in the remote parts of North Garo Hills.
A recent visit showed that the villages, each of over 110 households at least, were unable to receive a drop of water ever since JJM was implemented in their village.
In Ildek Akong, which has around 130 households, the villagers informed that their project was literally painting over the old to make it feel new. Further with no filtration of the ground water anywhere in sight, they stated that the water that was in the tank was not even fit for consumption by their animals.
“We have no clue why the contractor chose a small nullah type water source when another source nearby would have been enough to provide for our village’s water supply. The contractor has been continually telling us that he will take care of all issues but till now that has only been talk. The lesser we talk about the department in question, the better,” said one of the villagers.
An inspection of the main tank, which had been painted over showed literally no water coming into it. Further the water in the tank was muddy and dark brown as no fresh water flowed from the pipelines connected to it.
A visit to the dam was an absolute shocker. The structure of the dam was only about 1 metre from the ground and had an outlet to allow for the water overflow in what would have been a much better source.The pipeline was connected to another source nearby from which water was only just trickling in.
“There is no way this water will suffice to feed the needs of our village. They did this despite our objections. Even the pipelines in question have been shoddily placed and there are no sockets to connect the pipes. It has not even been welded in. In many places, the old GI pipes were used and in others HDPE pipes. These are connected using rubber bands. Seems they were more concerned with saving money than providing us water,” informed another villager.
The villagers informed that pipelines were connected to each household which were then connected to the main supply line. However the pipelines in their homes were just for show as they are yet to receive a drop of water through the lines.
“The main pipeline is too thin to even carry water to all households. Further the way the lines are connected (using rubber bands), most of the water, if any manages to get through, will be lost in transit. What was the point to setting up the pipeline when the project itself is an absolute dud,” they asked.
The Ildek Akong JJM project is an augmentation project that was taken up at a cost of Rs 78.374 lakhs. The project was contracted to one Gollam Rabbani Mondal as per the board in place at the site of the water reservoir.
“We had a perfectly working water supply to many parts of our village but since the implementation of JJM, none of us have seen a drop of water. We are dependent of the Ildek River for our sustenance. We have made several complaints to the department concerned but have never got any response to our queries,” added the villagers.
The villagers also added that a nearby village had no such issues after JJM implementation but it was these two villages that were bearing the brunt of the situation.
What is striking in all the projects is the absolute lack of any water filtration process which beggars the question as to how such water projects can be passed unless it guarantees potable water that is fit for human consumption.
When contacted on the matter, the JE from the PHE department said that a team had gone to the village to check and found that the main supply pipeline had been blocked due to which water was not reaching the villagers. This, as per him, was being rectified. However when asked about the quality of water and whether it was fit for human consumption, he informed that the specification of water was being checked and it would be rectified.
“We are working to ensure the water supply reaches all households. We are also running quality checks to ensure that the water is potable. If it is not, adequate measures will be taken,” informed the JE of PHE – Kharkutta division.
JJM projects promise potable drinking water to all households in the country. The stress is on potable water and while the PHE earlier provided potable water to households, the advent of JJM in the state has just turned the tables on entire villages.