Shillong, Dec 17: The National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd (NHIDCL) has been blamed for damaging the water line that provides much of Shillong with its supply, leaving the city short of precious H2O, though Public Health Engineering Minister Marcuise Marak expects that the situation will return to normal shortly.
This is the second incident in the past few weeks where NHIDCL work has led to problems for the public. The first was when a contractor hired by the company inadvertently caused soil and debris to wash into the Umngot River, leading to the waterway famed for its clarity to become murky.
This time, work the NHIDCL was conducting in Upper Shillong led to the bursting of the main water pipeline at 101 Area more than a week ago, leaving lakhs of residents scrambling for private sources of water as the state government has done little to try and alleviate citizens’ immediate concerns. The government has been pilloried by the opposition, pressure groups and the general public alike. The matter has also been taken up by the Meghalaya High Court.
Yesterday the PHE Minister visited the site of the burst. Today he informed reporters that supply is expected to resume gradually, starting from Wednesday evening, though there seemed to be little evidence of that at the time of filing this report.
Marak informed that an alternative route for the damaged pipeline has been created to restore water supply. He said a new pipeline measuring around 300 metres was laid in a process that took more than eight days due to technical difficulties.
The minister explained that the damaged pipes were located deep inside the newly constructed road, making excavation and repair difficult. As a result, the PHE Department had no option but to create an alternative route.
“This leakage occurred at a time when the department was already realigning water pipelines due to highway construction. Despite the challenges, our officials worked continuously to address the crisis,” Marak said, assuring citizens that full supply would be released by Thursday.
Marak also pointed to communication gaps with NHIDCL, stating that the agency should have informed the PHE Department before carrying out road construction work. He said such lapses have led to repeated disruptions and confusion on the ground.
The entire cost of laying the new 300m pipeline, along with other related expenses, will be borne by NHIDCL.
Meanwhile, Marak said the department will request the government to conduct an inquiry into the matter and take action based on the findings.
