WATER SCARCITY
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 4: Amidst the water scarcity and drying up of water sources, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Saturday inspected Shillong’s Um Jasai catchment area and said mining activities will not be allowed in its vicinity.
The ongoing dry spell has led to tremendous water shortages across the state. The CM’s visit to the catchment area followed a series of meetings he chaired to understand the water crisis in the state.
Though Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall in the country, the dry phase has hit Shillong and other towns hard.
“The government has undertaken several interventions in the past year to rejuvenate the streams, springs, and rivers,” he said, referring to various ongoing projects to ensure adequate potable water in the state.
Apart from big infrastructure projects to provide water, the government has prioritized the protection and conservation of the catchment areas. “We should rejuvenate different water bodies in the state and store the water as far as possible, using different interventions such as rainwater harvesting and recharging of groundwater tables,” he said.
“The water intake is very low in different streams across the state. The government has conducted surveys and studies and has initiated measures to improve the overall situation,” he added.
Sangma also said many check dams are being constructed in strategic locations to store water. “The government has initiated mitigation measures. We are going through challenging times, but with our interventions, we should be able to improve the overall situation in the coming years,” he said.
He urged the citizens to take upon themselves the responsibility of conserving water at the household level. He also said the government will not allow any mining activities around the catchment areas, so that the water bodies are protected.