For a state whose name translates as the Abode of the Clouds, it would be tempting to think that its capital city would be well-prepared to deal with heavy rains but Shillong never fails to disappoint.
Pre-monsoon showers, not unusual for this time of year, have hit Shillong in recent days but the city has been caught with its metaphorical trousers down, once again.
Wednesday’s rain – not even all that heavy – left places like Polo and Lachumiere flooded. Rivers like the Wahumkhrah, dirty at the best of times, were turned into a grey fast-moving sludge, the stench of which is impossible to escape for residents on its banks. Over the weekend images emerged from Nongthymmai and Demthring where the roads were covered in garbage that had been washed out of drains and onto the streets.
The causes of these are manifold. The city has ballooned in terms of population over the years with its infrastructure unable to cope and the boom in tourism has added further pressures.
While the city’s expansion may have been inevitable, certain manmade actions were not. Tributaries of the Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi have been encroached on. In Polo the river was diverted during the British era to enable the creation of the eponymous polo ground. Low-lying areas like Pynthorbah, which were used for growing rice, are now being built on. Wanton littering and improper disposal of garbage means that trash is frequently washed into the rivers, that is if it is not blocking up the city’s drains.
The state government has not implemented any sort of proper city planning, conveniently using the local unique land holding system to wash their hands of the problem. For its part, the general public often puts the blame for rubbish in the rivers on the neighbourhoods further upstream, with tribals blaming non-tribals a common refrain.
Added to all this are the effects of climate change. Although scientists are not absolutely sure on this yet, it seems that the ever rising average temperatures could lead to drier weather overall but with more severe storms that the city, and state as a whole, may not be ready to deal with.
Some of the pressure that Shillong is facing at the moment may be alleviated once the New Shillong Township development is completed. But all stakeholders – state government, municipality, district council, dorbar shnongs and the public – need to be more concerted, united and willing to make a real effort. It will not be possible to keep kicking the can down the road forever.
