The people of Chokpot, South Garo Hills, are suffering high levels of environmental pollution because of unabated rat hole coal mining in the region, the A’chik Association for the Protection of Environment (AAPE) said in a release today.
The Kakiza River, which flows near mining areas under the A’king of Gopgre, Rongma Kakiza, Kilbroma, Paromgre, Damalgre, etc, converges with the Dareng River and has turned white due to pollution. The river is used as a source of drinking water for 30 villages, such as Dagal Gopgre, Damalgre, Dagal Songgitalgre, etc.
When curious villagers investigated as to why the water had changed colour, they found that mining of extraction of coal was taking place upstream.
Such mining has been taking place for months despite a National Green Tribunal ban and transportation takes place “right under the noses” of the authorities, AAPE said. The authorities, who should be acting against such illegalities, act more like facilitators of the crime, it added.
“Had the intervention by the enforcement officials occurred earlier, the pollution of river bodies would have been prevented,” the release stated.
Villagers still rely on the river for drinking water, as well as to wash clothes, bathe, etc because they have not received piped water connections from the Public Health Engineering Department.
“Contrary to what should have been done, in Meghalaya the rivers are choking to death, the deforestation rate is rising exponentially and there is an alarming rise in temperature. All these indicate that the state is not going in the right direction,” AAPE said, while calling for the state pollution control board, Mining and Geology Department and other arms of government to take note of the illegal mining and consequent pollution.
