Five villages in West Jaiñtia Hills district have raised objection to the proposed construction of a sanitary landfill in Mooshutsdai village with concerns raised on pollution it might cause on drinkable water source.
Opposition to the project was raised at a public hearing held today at the village, which was conducted by the district administration and attended by residents of many villages in and around Mooshutsdai.
The task force committee had proposed a 100 acres land at Mooshutsdai under the Elaka Nartiang for construction of the landfill.
However residents of Thadmusem, Nongkhroh, Larnai, Sohphoh and Mookabeng villages are against the proposed project as they pointed out that they are dependent on the land there for drinking water. Another concern raised by the villagers is that the landfill in Mooshutsdai would have an adverse effect on the farmland and the future generation. They also questioned on the intention of the government for not giving them prior information when garbage was dumped temporarily there last year.
As a mark of protest against the project, the villagers also barricaded the site with tree trunks.
It may be mentioned that the Jowai Municipal Board has been unable to dispose Jowai’s garbage with protest from various villages. The board had made attempts by getting rid of the garbage in Marten (which serves Shillong) and even an abandoned coal mine in East Jaiñtia Hills, but all these ideas came to nought.
While a settlement was also reached in August last year whereby Jowai could temporarily dispose its rubbish at Mynkjai village for three months, the stink surrounding the non-disposal of garbage has resurfaced yet again.
