The news that 749 water sources are in a critical condition, meaning that they are drying up due to various reasons should have alarmed the citizens of the state but there has been no reaction from any civil society group that otherwise has a view on every issue. Perhaps water is not a politically sexy issue otherwise political parties would have jumped to make political capital out of the issue which is a matter of life and death for the state and its people. Of the 17 sustainable development goals laid out by the United Nations, Goal 6 says, “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Without a clean and sustainable source of drinking water public health will be compromised as polluted water is also the source of diseases. In Meghalaya a common sight is people washing vehicles in the middle of a river. This despite the clear warning from the State Pollution Control Board that washing vehicles in rivers is a criminal offence.
Rivers are precious sources of fresh drinking water but when rivers are so polluted by coal mining and anthropogenic activities it can become a case of life and death. Rivers originate from sources and when those sources are denuded by reckless felling of trees for quarrying and mining then water becomes the first casualty. Everywhere in the State large tracks of forests have been cleared for timber and charcoal production. While on paper charcoal production is banned the trade carries on unabated. At the rate at which trees are felled for this business it is doubtful if Meghalaya can revive the lost forest cover which must be seen to be believed.
The PHE Minister has said that the Government has identified and mapped out 749 water sources under critical condition. Perhaps what is faulty in Meghalaya is also the distribution of portfolios. Why cannot the PHE minister also be the Minister for Water Resources. After all the concerns for both are similar and can be handled better under one head instead of being divided. The public need to know what the rejuvenation plans of the Government are and they have to be involved for the plans to succeed. The PHE Minister says the Government has consulted experts. The public also needs to know who these experts are and what they see are the major reasons for the drying up of water sources. While global warming is an important reason for rivers drying up, what cannot be ruled out is also the environmental degradation and clearing of community forests. In fact, even inside reserved forests trees are being felled. Unless there is strict control over the forests which is the mandate of the District Councils, Meghalaya will be heading towards a major water crisis.
