By Rudi Warjri
The United Nations declared June 5 as World Environment Day. The date was chosen because it marked the first day of the Stockholm Conference on Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya where I had my first posting as a diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. I also had a chance to interact with UNEP. In fact I also used to send useful literature on Environment to one then interested Head of the Soil Conservation Department , Meghalaya .
Since its founding in 1972, UNEP has served as a neutral convener of Member States, civil society, the private sector and UN agencies to address humanity’s most pressing environmental challenges. From protecting species to restoring the ozone layer, UNEP-facilitated international agreements have made global environmental action possible throughout the years. Today, UNEP hosts the United Nations Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 United Nations’ Member States.
Through robust science, global coordination and powerful advocacy, UNEP continues to support all UN Member States – and all of society – to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and forge a future where people and planet live in harmony. With a workforce of nearly 3,000 people across 41 countries and territories, UNEP’s mission is to inform, enable, and inspire nations and peoples to improve their quality of life while safeguarding the environment for future generations.Let me switch gears and talk about my own woes. I will take only one part of the much wider and grand subject of Environment and that is Water .
I returned to Shillong for good in 2014. Destiny fated that my residence is outside the Municipality where civic amenities are entirely at the mercy of the Shnong. In the last few years my family has been preoccupied with something very basic that was taken for granted when I was growing up in Shillong, leave alone during my diplomatic life abroad. That’s running around for water, especially during the dry months. The word ‘Um’ (Water) is the most used word in my family, from morning till night at times even leading to a row. The day is filled with keeping track of when the water would come in the pipes from the two sources the PHE (Public Health Department) and the Shnong, subjected also to the whimsical timings of the functionary of the Shnong . The supply could also stop anytime during the dry months or even during rainy seasons because the flow of water would be obstructed by falling branches, leaves, pine needles etc; in the water bodies in the forest and the Shongs are not equipped with the wherewithal to address the problem urgently .
Among the ubiquitous private enterprises flourishing in Shillong are the water tankers selling water by those who own the water sources through drilling or natural springs. Drivers of the water tankers function like a cartel. Their phone numbers are as busy as those of the police or the fire brigade. For a new comer it was not easy to get someone who would be ready to deliver water urgently. So one learned to anticipate when would water be required and call the driver of the water tanker at the right time.
I also learnt that some Rangbah Shnong also have a vested interest in the water supply business. In one growing locality a senior official of the Water Resource Department, Government of India had acquired land for building a house. He found that the PHE Department , Government of Meghalaya didn’t have a water supply system in the locality. He prevailed upon the PHE to conduct a survey where others besides him would also benefit. The PHE Department submitted the report and assured that it could do the job. The stumbling block was the NoC from the Rangbah Shong.
Now I am used to buying water especially when purchase of water has become a normal practice for most of the under-privileged population in Meghalaya regardless of the much publicized Jal Jeevan Mission. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, paraphrasing a line from the ‘sermon in the mount, “Blessed are those who don’t have to buy water because they own the water drillings sources or natural springs or because of wealth. But more flaunting is done by those who are in position of political power and influence irrespective of their own descendants inheriting an earth without drinking water.
Back to World Environment Day, the Government of India had made a bid to hold the COP (Conference of Parties) 33, scheduled for 2028. Sometime ago it issued a statement that it has withdrawn from holding the COP 33. No reason was given . COP by the way refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change international meeting focusing on Climate Change. Water and climate change are inextricably linked in myriad ways. Only 0.5% of water on Earth is useable and available freshwater – and climate change is dangerously affecting that supply. Over the past 20 years, terrestrial water storage – including soil moisture, snow and ice – has dropped at a rate of 1 cm per year, with major ramifications for water security. This requires a longer discussion in another article.
About Meghalaya, rivers are the most visible sources of water . The Economic Survey 2025 – 2026 tabled in Parliament in January 2026 highlighted the critical water crisis faced in Meghalaya. The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) had recently published data which revealed the depressing state of rivers in Meghalaya. Be it change in the colour of the Lukha river in Jaintia Hills or the polluted rivers because of mining, garbage, sewage disposal, quarrying, etc. Prominent among them is the Wah Umkhrah in Shillong. Not to speak about the deforestation and cutting down of trees that are the mainstay of ensuring water supply .
Religiously, however every June 5 , World Environment Day would be celebrated. Symbolical demonstration of tree planting with a political luminary among school children with a surfeit of colourful photo – ops would take place, only to be forgotten the next day about the much-needed consequential action that would ensure availability of clean water to those children in their future.
The way forward in Meghalaya is to put water at the heart of action plans. This should begin with the State Government and the District Councils sitting together and thrashing out where the institutional problem lies that impede existing laws from acting against deforestation , illegal mining of coal , stone , sand, etc., and wanton misuse of water bodies by the public. Next is to come up with institutional changes wherever required with no excuse of political backlash. This can of course be possible by placing water above party politics , personal egos , vested interests , etc. Next is to implement the decisions by involving all stakeholders, the Shnongs, Village Development Councils, civil societies, community activist bodies, academia etc.
Among the specifics that could be considered are (a) protecting existing water bodies ecosystems and reducing carbon emissions from water and sanitation transportation and treatment. (b)Protecting natural buffers like regulating water flow to bind the soil in forest, embankments, etc. (c) Harvesting rainwater and techniques include rooftop capture for small-scale use and surface dams to slow run-off to reduce soil erosion and increase aquifer recharge. (d) Adopting climate-smart agriculture by using conservation techniques to improve organic matter to increase soil moisture retention; drip irrigation; reducing post-harvest losses and food waste; and, transforming waste into a source of nutrients or biofuels/biogas. (e)Reusing wastewater (f) Harnessing groundwater.
