SHILLONG, July 23: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday sounded alarm bells over the worsening impacts of climate change in Meghalaya, pointing to a marked deficiency in rainfall even in traditionally rain-rich areas such as Sohra and Mawsynram.
Addressing a gathering in Shillong, the chief minister admitted that climate change is no longer a distant threat but a crisis that is unfolding here before everyone’s eyes.
He remarked that this year alone, the state has witnessed a significant shortfall in rainfall, a fact that can no longer be ignored.
Referring to a recent statement by Power Minister AT Mondal that the depleting water levels of the Umiam reservoir might affect the state’s power generation capacity, Sangma acknowledged that the issue was deeply worrying.
He clarified that the low levels were not due to continuous release of water, but because there was “no water coming in either”. According to him, this was not an isolated fluctuation but a clear indicator of a changing climate pattern at play.
Sohra, known globally for receiving the highest rainfall, is now facing an unprecedented shortage, he noted.
The chief minister stressed that the challenges posed by climate change were not theoretical or abstract.
“These are for real,” he said, warning that the situation is expected to worsen in the coming years.
