By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 31: PHE Minister Marcuise Marak downplayed any concerns over Shillong city’s supply of contaminated water while giving his department a clean sheet.
According to a report last month from the city’s State Food Testing Laboratory, people are drinking unsafe and contaminated water in 44 main localities of the city.
Marak, however, stated on Tuesday that the department examines the water at the Mawphlang treatment plant before supplying it, and it even has its own laboratory.
“We bring it to a tank at 6-and-half Miles after testing it, and then there’s another tank at 4th Miles, and the water is distributed to the Shillong Municipal Board and other tanks,” he explained.
While claiming that the water from the PHE department is safe to drink, he also said that he was unsure about the quality of the water that the FKJGP leaders had provided, which had tested contaminated. He clarified, “The water being supplied is very much safe to drink. However, if any of the tanks are found to be contaminated and unfit to drink, we are looking into it.”
Bringing up the fact that many of the water tanks are overseen by Municipal and other entities, he said, saying that the PHE itself should have staffed the distribution portion of the water supply as well. The department has previously brought this notion to the government’s attention.
The PHE Chief Engineer’s office had previously stated that the Superintending Engineers in charge of the Greater Shillong Agglomeration area had received stringent instructions for rigorous quality maintenance and monitoring, as well as for taking corrective action if necessary, with regard to the water supply.
