SHILLONG, April 14: The state government, line departments, citizens, civil society groups and members of the Dorbar Shnong of different localities of Shillong converged at Yojana Bhavan on Friday to deliberate on rejuvenation and restoration of the three main rivers – the Umkhrah, Umshyrpi and Umkhen — flowing through Shillong city.
Chief Secretary Donald P. Wahlang, under whose aegis the meeting was called and who made the presentation on the status of the three rivers, expressed regret that whereas Meghalaya also boasts of the cleanest river (Umngot) and the cleanest village (Mawlynnong), the Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers are listed among the 45 most polluted rivers in the country.
“A lot of waste is unaccounted for hence that waste is what is thrown into rivers,” Wahlang said.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma set aside 2.5 hours from his busy schedule to listen to all stakeholders, particularly the Rangbah Shnong of localities lying adjacent to the three rivers. Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, Cabinet Minister AL Hek, and senior officials – Dr P. Shakil Ahammad, SM Andaleeb Razi, Secretary of Forests Dr Vijay Kumar, CVD Diengdoh and officials of the Shillong Municipal Board, PHE and Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board were present.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, the Chief Secretary said during the meeting, the present scenarios of the three rivers were highlighted. This is in response to the NGT orders and above all to ensure that rivers are not killed by irresponsible human activities.
Wahlang gave a clarion call for collective responsibility and for all stakeholders to work together with the objective of cleaning these three rivers. The presentations made showed the appalling condition of the three rivers and direct discharge of septic tanks into the rivers which the Chief Secretary referred to as “pain points.” This was intended to shock those attending the meeting and to urge for urgent action, Wahlang said.
He also referred to the KHADC Solid Waste Management Act, 2022 which empowers the Dorbar Shnong to take action such as imposing fines on polluters. As such the Shnong now have powers to impose hefty fines of Rs 500 per day from people who discharge their septic tanks directly into the rivers. “It is time to wake up as the situation is alarming and only collective efforts will see us through,” Wahlang said.
There are two cases pertaining to the NGT which calls for ensuring that liquid waste is not discharged into the rivers and the government has identified 32 locations — 20 along Umkhrah and 12 along Umshyrpi — where there is a need to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs).
As of now, five have already been set up and others are under construction while the government is also looking for land from Dorbar Shnongs to set up such STPs.
As far as Umkhen river is concerned, the problem is at the source as unregulated quarrying is also going on near the area and the state has been given 45 days to take corrective measures.
To overcome the problem of Municipal and non-Municipal areas, the Chief Secretary stated that the PHED will not look after the health of the rivers and also other problems pertaining to poor management of garbage.
In addition, the meeting also decided to set up a core group to monitor the decisions which were taken on Friday. Sub-groups will also be set up to address specific issues in localities facing critical issues of garbage mismanagement.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Minister said that the objective of the meeting was identify the critical gaps and devise future action plan and the way forward in the rejuvenation and restoration of the three important rivers of Shillong while soliciting the participation and suggestions of the Dorbar Shnongs and the communities.
Sangma also said that there needs to be a balance between ecology and economy adding, “The meeting that we are having today is a part of the larger agenda of the state government to have a balance among livelihood, economy and environment so that while the economic needs are being taken care of the environment is also protected and conserved for future generations.”
“It is important to have a positive mindset and stop playing the blame game since we are all in this together,” he added.
He also said that the government is committed to rejuvenation and restoration of all water bodies in the state. “We need to put our heads and hearts together to address this monumental problem and government is coming up with an app for citizens to raise complaints on any issue related to pollution. This systematic complaint system will be set in motion very soon,” the CM said.
He also highlighted some of the programmes of the government for climate change mitigation, sewage and waste management, phasing out single-use plastic, mitigating air pollution through use of electric vehicles and afforestation and community participation through awareness and involvement of students and youth through programmes and designing curriculum.
In the meeting, several headmen lamented that they were not provided with CCTV cameras to detect polluters. They were advised to write to the CEO Smart City Project.
The Rangbah Shnong of Wahingdoh also submitted a pen drive with videos to indicate who the main polluters of the Umkhrah river are. They include among others the residents of the Police Reserve and the entire length of the rivers from Police Bazar (Sani Mandir, Umsohsun etc). He also pointed to the pollution being caused due to cooking of tar for road metalling purposes and rued that trees were being cut down for such purpose when better technology should have been adopted.
The Rangbah Shnong also sought a more defined role for the Dorbar. “Give us some teeth and reorganise the Dorbar Shnong,” he urged the authorities.
