SHILLONG, July 12: Spurred by the preventable deaths of five men in a Lapalang water reservoir, the East Khasi Hills district administration has launched a district-wide crackdown on unauthorised wells—a move that exposes the dangerous underbelly of Shillong’s private water dependency.
Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal told The Shillong Times on Sunday that the administration will direct various Dorbar Shnongs to conduct a recce of all dug wells, borewells, and underground water reservoirs in their localities. The district plans to use these lists to cross-reference official records and identify unauthorised structures for “necessary action.”
The move effectively shifts the burden of monitoring onto traditional institutions. While permissions for such structures are officially granted by the District Water Resources Development Committee (DWRDC) following a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from a headman, the administration is now relying on those same headmen to identify the thousands of private reservoirs that have proliferated due to the city’s unreliable piped water supply.
The legality of the specific reservoir in Lapalang, where the tragedy occurred on Friday, is still being verified against DWRDC records.
The crackdown follows the fatal incident at Dongmadan Lane 4, where five men died while cleaning a 33-foot-deep underground tank. Sub-Divisional Officer (Water Resources) Larrypor Roy Nongbri confirmed the victims died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Toxic fumes from a diesel pump used to drain the water rapidly displaced oxygen in the confined, unventilated space.
The tragedy began when four workers were overcome by fumes inside the tank. One managed to escape and raise the alarm, prompting two brothers to enter the reservoir in a rescue attempt. Both rescuers also succumbed to the gas.
The deceased have been identified as Pynskhemlang Mawthoh (22), Rapborlang Nongspung (35), Elka Shadap (25), and brothers Sunil Thakuri (34) and Umesh Thakuri (30).
In a significant medical procedure, doctors at NEIGRIHMS conducted “virtual autopsies” using MRI and CT imaging to determine the cause of death. The bodies were handed over to the bereaved families on Saturday for the last rites.
