Shillong, June 29: The Health department has not received any written complaint about any ethanol factory set up at Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi district and that the government will act in case of any concrete evidence of pollution affecting human health in the area.
“As of now we have not received any written complaint. We only came to know about this issue from social media,” Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said on Monday.
He said a complaint is necessary for the department to investigate the matter.
The Health department will commission a survey only when there is a written complaint or concrete evidence that it is affecting public health, he said.
“No one has come forward with a formal complaint so far,” he added.
Admitting that pollution in Byrnihat has been a long-standing issue, he said “This has come up before and was even reported in the national media.”
He stressed the difficulty in attributing pollution to a single source given Byrnihat’s location.
“Byrnihat is a border area with Assam, and there is still debate over the origin of most of the pollution. A majority of the factories are believed to be in Assam,” he said.
“That is why there is debate on how much pollution is coming from which side. But we also recognise that pollution knows no boundary. It will affect both states,” Shylla said.
The minister said the matter had been flagged at the highest level.
“The Chief Minister had assured last time that he would take it up with our counterpart in Assam to discuss how to bring down the pollution,” he said.
He also pointed to recent recognition of the state’s efforts.
“Just a few days ago, if I am not mistaken, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board received an award for its efforts in reducing pollution in Byrnihat,” Shylla said.
“That itself shows the government is fully aware of the issue and is treating it seriously,” he added.
On the specific ethanol unit, Shylla said he did not have full details. “I don’t have proper knowledge about the particular factory because I also came to know of it only a few days ago,” he said.
“Since it does not fall under my department, it would not be wise for me to comment on something I am not fully sure of,” he added.
“But Byrnihat is a border area. So the unit could be in Meghalaya or in Assam,” Shylla said.
