A report into high levels of radiation round in a stream in South West Khasi Hills will be submitted soon, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said in the Assembly today.
Last year, in view of the alleged explosion at a repository tank at Nongbah-Jynrin, South West Khasi Hills, the state government requested North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) to undertake an investigation to determine what is behind the radiation levels.
A six-member expert team led by Prof B Myrboh from the Department of Chemistry visited the sites on November 10. The report revealed that the radiation levels at the source (tanks and pits), villages and human habitations nearby were well within the safety levels.
However, the expert committee found that 100 feet away from the source, in the rivulet Phud Syngkai, the level of radiation was higher than at the source, a finding that requires further study.
“A joint team of officials consisting of geologists and representatives of NEHU visited the site (Phud Syngkai) on February 22 and samples from rocks and sediments were collected,” Sangma said. “The chemical analysis of rock and sediments sample is being undertaken at the laboratory in the Directorate of Mineral Resources to determine the contents of these rocks and sediments.”
