The House Committee of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has stated that the uranium effluent storage tanks at Nongbah-Jynrin have not been properly sealed that could put villagers in danger.
The committee led by Deputy Chief Executive Member, Gigur Myrthong who visited the area on Tuesday told reporters that the house committee is concerned since these tanks were not properly sealed.
He said, “We are not at all satisfied and we will soon submit our report through the executive committee to the State government for necessary action.”
UDP nominated MDC, Bindo M Lanong too expressed concern and said, “I had visited Jadugoda and there the uranium effluent tanks are very deep. The area there was designated as a protected area,” questioning why such measures are not taken in Meghalaya.
Lanong said that the executive committee will also write to the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) and the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to question them on how effluents are stored and the measures that are in place.
It may be recalled that the Assembly committee on the environment too had recommended a health survey of residents of the uranium-rich lands of Domiasiat, South West Khasi Hills, to declare three test pits and two repository tanks as off-limits to the public and setting up of a police outpost in Wahkaji to secure the location.
The Meghalaya government had last month tasked North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and IIT Guwahati to conduct separate studies on the radiation level in the uranium-rich areas of the district.
