Meghalaya has around 50 river systems – large and small – and should thus have sufficient water supply if the water bodies are taken care of properly.
This is the opinion of United Democratic Party (UDP) general secretary Jemino Mawthoh while speaking to Highland Post on a subject that has gripped the state of late, with drying up of rivers reported in Garo Hills and Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
Stating that water scarcity has started to become very serious with climate change and global warming, he said the water bodies in Meghalaya that used to be crystal clear have now started to become polluted and some heavily polluted beyond measure.
He stressed the importance of protecting catchment areas that are facing issues of encroachment, stone and sand quarrying and other mining activities that have started to destroy them all.
“We need to look at all these issues from a comprehensive point of view and totality of things and how we can preserve and conserve the catchment areas, our environment and water bodies because everything is connected,” Mawthoh said.
He said that the identification of the existing traditional water sources and improving them should also be done to increase the availability of water supply.
“We also need to identify other bigger water supply schemes because now we only have the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme and we need other schemes to collect water because Shillong’s population is increasing by leaps and bounds,” he said, adding that the state cannot be complacent and needs to be farsighted and see 10-20 years ahead.
He lamented that the saddest thing is for the people living below the poverty line because for them buying water means compromising on other things and their well-being.
Recalling the launch of Operation Wahumkhrah, Umshyrpi in 2000, he said that the Seng Samla then launched the programme to sensitise the public to not pollute the water bodies so that people in the rural areas also become aware of the importance of preserving their water bodies.
“Everything is linked because if you don’t throw your waste into the drains that flow into the streams then our water bodies will somehow remain clean. We also need to address not only solid waste but also liquid waste and there should be proper disposal and these are the things the government has to take priority and enforce the rules in letter and spirit,” he said.
He said that if we keep talking about climate change, and water scarcity without any stringent measures then we are heading toward disasters.
“We are afraid that if no measures are taken then all the water bodies in Meghalaya will follow the same fate as Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi,” he said, adding that without proper planning all efforts will continue to bear no results.
“What is the point of clean rivers today that will be polluted again tomorrow? We need coordinated efforts and all the rules and regulations have to be strictly enforced,” he added.
