KHM slams government for failure
Lack of safe drinking water
A REPORTER
SHILLONG, April 26: The KHM youth wing has termed the state government as unfit for its failure to provide safe drinking water to the people of the state despite countless request made by them.
A delegation from the KHM youth wing met the State Urban Affairs Minister and submitted a memorandum on quality of drinking water supplied through the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).
“We had earlier requested the government to notify the test report of water sample in local news paper for public awareness but the government have not initiated such steps till date,” KHM youth wing president Thomas Passah told newsmen here on Tuesday after meeting state Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh.
He informed that water sample of Umjasai SMB, collected from Khlieh lewduh and Upper Mawprem have been tested and 27 reports tested between May 2015 and Nov 2015 have been marked as unfit for human consumption and require treatment.
He said the water sample of Wahrisa, SMB collected from Upper Malki Reservoir, Upper Lachumier
Reservoir have been tested and 29 reports tested during the period from April 2015 to February this year have revealed that water is high on iron and are unfit for human consumption.
“We have submitted all our reports to the minister to show that most of the reservoir has been found unsatisfactory on continuous pattern which could be a cause of concerned for the people using this water for drinking,” he said.
According to him, the state government has not taken the matter seriously to notify the test report of water sample in local newspapers.
Informing that the KHM youth wing has also filed an RTI regarding the matter, he said, “In the RTI it revealed that out of the 700 reports tested, 570 states as satisfactory and the remains as unfit for consumption and not a single report remarked by a specialist says that the water is fit for consumption.”
He informed that the Urban Affairs Minister has told them that a meeting will be convened on May 2, 2016 in which specialist from the Pasture institute, experts from the PHE department including members of KHM will be present to discuss on bringing a solution on the subject matter.
The KHM leader said that he will also give suggestions and ideas to the state government in the meeting. “If the state government remains ictive to take up steps to provide safe drinking water to the people then we will have to take other ways and means to pressurize the government,” he said.
