Umngot river water at Shnongpdeng detected to be muddy and turbid
Shillong, Nov 1: Responding to public concern over pollution in Umngot river, the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) has directed the Project Management Unit – Mylliem, which is responsible for Shillong-Dawki road project, to take immediate measures to remove construction and demolition waste dumped in the pristine river.
In a letter to the general manager of PMU, the MSPCB chairman R Nanamalai ordered strict obeyance of Standard Operating Procedure set for the purpose.
The MSPCB also asked the PMU to direct all their contractors to apply for Consent to Establish/Consent to Operate from the Board within a period of 15 days.
The contractors were also directed to strictly follow due processes related to use of stone crusher and source of boulders.
The order was issued following an inspection carried out by Board’s officials on Friday.
They detected extensive excavation, earthwork, filling and dumping of materials along Shillong-Dawki road – road construction work divided into five packages – without proper containment or stabilisation measures.
The inspection also found that on crossing the Pynursla-Dawki Bridge, recent filling works had been carried out by NHIDCL in response to a landslide that occurred recently.
“The filling has been done without any retaining structures such as sandbags or other stabilisation measures. As a result, the filling material is observed to be sliding toward the Umngot river, posing a risk of further erosion and sedimentation,” the Board stated in the letter.
The filled portion near the bridge appears unstable and has the potential to cause additional landslides, especially during rainfall, the Board said.
The new Dawki Bridge construction site was also found to be contributing to river siltation due to hill cutting activities and loose soil and debris sliding down the slope towards Umngot river, contributing to river siltation.
The Umngot river water at Shnongpdeng was observed to be muddy and turbid at the time of inspection.
Upon enquiry with local residents, it was informed that the river has remained persistently turbid in recent times.
The MSPCB has also collected water samples from the Umngot River for laboratory analysis to assess turbidity levels and other parameters.
During interaction with Trebor Suchen at Darang, the Board officials were informed that the source of turbidity appears to originate from Wah Umsong, located at Laitlyngkot (likely within Package II of the project).
It was reported that a large volume of excavated earth has been dumped near one of the tributaries of the Umngot river, which could be contributing to the observed turbidity downstream, the board stated.
The Project Management Unit-Mylliem has been asked to submit an action taken report at the earliest.
