Shillong, Jul 21: The Meghalaya government is working on a plan to streamline urban water supply by setting up a single authority to oversee the system, with the aim of eliminating overlapping responsibilities among different agencies.
Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister Marcuise N Marak, speaking to reporters today, said the existing arrangement in cities such as Shillong and Tura often results in delays in resolving public complaints due to multiple agencies sharing responsibility.
Marak today opened the State-Level Jal Utsav 2026 under the theme ‘Celebrating Water, Securing Sources’. The campaign aims to “celebrate Meghalaya’s water heritage, promote conservation and strengthen community ownership of drinking water systems,” an official press release stated.
At present, the PHE Department supplies water in bulk to the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and the Shillong Cantonment Board (SCB), which are responsible for distributing water to consumers.
Marak explained that when residents report issues like water leakages, complaints frequently get delayed because departments first determine whether the matter falls under their jurisdiction.
“When complaints are received, PHE officials inspect the issue, but many times it turns out that the matter falls under the Municipal Board or the Cantonment Board. This creates unnecessary challenges in resolving the problem quickly,” he said.
To address these issues, the government is proposing a unified system under the concept of “one mechanism, one platform and one authority” to manage the entire water supply network for Shillong and the surrounding urban agglomeration.
According to the minister, the proposed reform is intended to simplify administration, improve coordination between agencies and ensure that grievances are addressed more efficiently.
A similar restructuring is also being considered for Tura, where the PHE Department and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) currently share responsibility for water supply.
Marak said the government will hold consultations with all stakeholders before taking a final decision on the proposal.
“We will first consult all stakeholders. Only after that process is completed will we move forward. It will take some time, but the objective is to improve accountability and provide better service delivery,” he said.
