Editor,
In February 2008, the Union Ministry for Environment & Forest, put Pushkar Lake, which existed since the 4th Century in Ajmer, Rajasthan, on the list of the National Lake Conservation Project (NLCP). Tetra Tech India Limited, prepared a DPR for de-siltation after which Rs. 48.3 crore was sanctioned. Water and Power Consultancy Services of India completed the de-siltation work. Report published by the Times of India, dated October 24, 2009, says that when work started, the lake had 4 feet of water and the people of Pushkar were hopeful that they would soon have a cleaner, deeper lake, which has been desilted. When the District Administration started desilting work, the lake became wider and deeper and as a result could not conserve rain water for even a week. Rainwater has become the primary source of water for the lake, during the monsoons. The proposal was opposed by Geologists of the State Department. Twelve bore holes were drilled but some bore wells became dysfunctional as the ‘aquifer zone’ could not augment the water supply, as the recharge is from the monsoon rains only.
Thirty three years ago a DPR was prepared for de- siltation of Umiam Lake. The boundary of Umiam Lake running from Toyota, Mahindra and Tata showroom, Mawiong, is a ‘fault plane’ (defined as a crack with displacement). Millions of years ago, Mawiong was at the same level with the bottom of the Umiam Lake. The ‘Fault’ down-thrown the level of Umiam Lake to its present day height. Cracks developed, tremendous heat was generated in the process. The burnt and crushed rocks on both sides were removed. The crack was ‘sealed’ by a proportionately prepared mixture of cement. Cementing materials tend to decay. The Umiam Lake cementing material was given a life span of 50 years as we are all aware of. ‘Silt’ ( geologically defined as the finest disintegration of quartz), brought by water flow and current, enters through the decayed cracks and fissures and block and reduces the leakage of water. Removing the ‘silt’ will cause leakage, as in Pushkar Lake.
The cementing material of Umiam Lake had already completed more than half of its life span 33 years ago. When the authorities of the Government were made aware of the above facts, they used their wisdom and abandoned the project.
In November 2022, a Consultant, unaware of the geological, structure and tectonic history of Umiam Lake, prepared a DPR proposing a bridge from Army boat house to Nehru Park, to ease the load of the Umiam Dam. An article- ‘Umiam Hydel Project- a Geological Marvel”- was published in The Shillong Times on November 6, 2022. The project was abandoned, and shifted downstream as recommended. The bridge is now under construction.
Ward’s Lake was built in 1894. It was razed to the ground due to the impact of the Shillong earthquake of 1897. A photo of Hopkinson’s Tank or Nan Pollock as it was called at that time, before the earthquake shows the level of Ward’s Lake and the Botanical Gardens at the same level. The fault caused by the earthquake down-thrown the Botanical Garden to its present height, destroying the foundation. The floor of Ward’s Lake became a fault plane, prone to leakage. 16 years ago, Ward’s Lake was leaking heavily. The water level dropped by 4 feet. The Ward’s Lake dam was reconstructed post the 1897 earthquake, using sandstone. The cementing material was ‘mortar,’ a mixture of sand and lime. The ‘mortar’ decayed, after more than hundred years thereby causing leakage. Decayed mortar was removed and filled with “Epoxy Resin” by compressed air. The leakage remains sealed till date.
The colour of the water of Ward’s Lake is quite murky, due to the presence of sediments, algae and pollution. De-siltation changes the colour of the water, to a brighter shade. The phenomenon of ‘light absorption is directly proportional to depth.’ The deeper the Lake , the brighter the colour. But this phenomenon works in fast flowing water bodies (24×7 flow), where there are no sediments, algae or polluting medium. Most of the fast- flowing rivers in Meghalaya exhibit this phenomenon of light absorption, crystal clear, most notably and explicitly the Umngot River, a major tourist attraction.
Some rivers in our State turn ‘blue’ in winter, because they become stagnant during the winter months. Ward’s Lake is a stagnant water body. A greater risk for de-siltation of Ward’s Lake is the leakage of the lake’s floor after removing the ‘silt’, which has been the mainstay of the Lake. The Tourism Department should tread with caution.
Yours etc.,
Dr Eladbor Laloo,
Via e-mail
Respect is earned, not demanded
Editor
I have been following with great interest the exchange of letters in your esteemed paper — on whether we owe respect to the elderly. The letter from S. Lyngdoh in TST, June 23, 2025 was most courteous. I wish I had as much faith in the elderly. As someone who now belongs to this cohort, and as a person who lives in a death-denying hedonistic culture that worships youth for purely carnal reasons, the Indian and “third world” tradition of respect for the elderly has long intrigued me. Here in the US we are looked at with thinly disguised pity — for our physical frailties, for the fact that we can no longer produce economically, for what is perceived as our lack of physical beauty (this last is a relief), and for the fact that we are closer to death. The lip service to the elderly here comes in typical capitalist fashion — with monetary discounts for “senior citizens.” At least in academic circles, not only is there no love for wisdom, but wisdom is sometimes disdained — even by philosophy professionals!
Compared to this, it is a joy to be in Indian culture, where the elderly are still venerated for their purported wisdom. But do all older folks deserve respect? With age, the body grows older. But does the mind necessarily mature? Of course not. Not all persons grow older the same way. All depends on the moral efforts we put in to purge our souls, so we can come out shining, at the other end of life. Those who do not exert such effort, emerge as “old rogues” — a term coined by the great Swami Vivekananda. Indeed, some old folks are old rogues. Why? Because our passions and iniquities, if left unchecked, only worsen with age. To respect an old rogue, simply on account of physical age, makes no sense. Our respect for the elderly is really meant for what they supposedly represent — namely, wisdom. Old rogues not only lack wisdom, but can be harmful to others, especially to the youth.
Moreover, sometimes younger folks are far more self-controlled and wiser than old rogues. Finally, undeserved respect is the root cause of authoritarianism. So, respecting the elderly, when practiced as a blind creed, with no discernment between the deserving and the undeserving, can be a gateway to authoritarianism. Among the many forms of authoritarianism that rule India today, one is the iron hand of the elderly. This, despite the fact that the elderly are also sadly neglected, these days.
So, my counsel to the youth of Meghalaya is as follows: while you should generally be respectful of all persons, making special allowances for the frail and the vulnerable, you should also be discerning, with respect to character. Respect should be earned. An old rogue does not deserve your respect.
Yours etc.,
Deepa Majumdar,
Via email