By Sainkupar Syngkli
The gentle, winding Shillong-Guwahati road is loved for its lush greenery, which reveals the mesmerising Umiam Lake – one of the main attractions in Meghalaya.
The often mist-covered lake appears mysterious as one observes tourists clicking selfies against the backdrop of the space, known by many names – Barapani, Dam Site, Umiam, and even Umiam River. People pause for a moment to take in its ethereal aura.
It is also a popular destination for water sport and adventure facilities: kayaking, water cycling, scooting, and boating. Moving away from the tourism narrative, the lake is a source of sustenance for the fishermen who (catch and) sell fish in the market, making it a fishing spot as well.
Given its obvious importance for the people of the state, the health of Umiam Lake is of utmost concern. Considering the present status, much remains to be achieved in this regard.
Umiam Dam, which surrounds the lake, was built by the Assam State Electricity Board in the early 1960s. The dam’s original purpose was to store water for hydroelectric power generation. The Umiam Stage-I powerhouse, north of the lake, has four 9-MW turbine-generators, which entered commercial operation in 1965, making it the first reservoir-storage hydroelectric project commissioned in the northeastern region of India. Apart from this, the lake also provides numerous ecosystem services at micro, meso and macro levels. Downstream irrigation, fisheries, and drinking water cater to local anthropogenic needs.
The rising population of Shillong upstream of the lake has led to increased pollution, despite government efforts to restore and retain the beauty of Barapani. This grim reality is hidden underneath the social media bubble, replete with endless reels.
Because of the inevitable anthropogenic effects on the natural world, restoring balance would require collective collaboration on a multi-stakeholder level… the logical course of action comprising research, action and implementation of suggested changes.
Venturing further, one sees the damage already done. The ‘dirty secret’ is the worst site that lies in the corner of the Umiam River known as Kyndong Rella… the site where all the garbage carried by the rivers Umkhrah and Umshyrpi, gather. Stuck here, it has resulted in contamination of the lake.
Credit goes to the Smart Village Movement (SVM) that is working towards conservation of the Umiam.
About SVM
The website of SVM reads, “The Smart Village Movement was birthed and founded at UC Berkeley-HAAS Garwood Center for Growth Markets by Solomon Darwin following the 2016 Innovation Round Table discussion hosted by President Shri Pranab Mukherji in New Delhi, India. It was this forum that proposed the idea of the Smart Village Movement through an open-innovation approach to empower the subcontinent and connect India’s rural populations with Industry 4.0 ecosystem to enhance their participation and well-being.”
In 2019, California-based Indian-American philanthropist Dr. Anil Shah, a physician and medical entrepreneur by profession, who served India by adopting and nurturing individual villages, partnered with UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. The Open-Innovation model found a perfect synergy with Shah’s purpose and determination to empower marginalized rural communities in India. He took on the Executive Leadership of the Smart Village Movement NGO that now manages and facilitates on-ground operations between the State Governments, Academia, Corporates, and Rural Communities.
Today, SVM operates on the four core values of Open Innovation, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Sustainability. Their model of Open Innovation is crucial in developing efficient, inclusive, and sustainable solutions.
Current conversations on transforming rural India include digital technology as a means to empower people to “increase happiness of the villagers,” enabling them to “make the most of their potential and support them in their own unique set of issues, from environmental change to connectivity, the risk of poverty, and limited access to services. This is always done in close consultation with people living in rural areas, as well as local and regional authorities.”
By reducing the digital gap, new opportunities can revolutionise education, healthcare, agriculture, overall quality of life, and future prospects for the next generation.
Current conversations on transforming rural India include digital technology as a means to empower people to “increase happiness of the villagers”, enabling them to “make the most of their potential and support them in their own unique set of issues, from environmental change to connectivity, the risk of poverty, and limited access to services. This is always done in close consultation with people living in rural areas, as well as local and regional authorities.”
SVM identifies potential programme areas. Meghalaya falls under “Active Pilot Programme area with Current SVM Projects”.
Does this seem too ambitious? Perhaps, questions revolve around how they achieve their mission of building smart, vibrant and sustainable villages by combining empowerment through digital technology.
They work with governments, corporations and universities to achieve their goals. Focus, therefore, lies in the domains of entrepreneurship, job training and access to open-innovation platforms.
Their mission statement clearly states, “Unlike other forms of aid, SVM has never been about providing free facilities and expensive infrastructure investments. Our primary role is to bring underserved rural people online and connect them to the rest of the world’s ecosystems. This means providing them with access to resources, tools, market linkages, and knowledge to transform their local habitats with targeted investments in Healthcare, Household, Livelihood and Education projects. Our mission is to empower villagers with the right technology and innovation to explore entrepreneurial opportunities, improve revenue, and to build on their own and new resources for a happier life in their village.”
SVM and Umiam Lake
The garbage can be cleaned with the help of Clearbot, an AI powered boat, even if it takes approximately six months to clean Umiam Lake. That said, there is a catch – this can be achieved only if the garbage from Shillong can be filtered or stopped before reaching the lake.
Umiam is one of the dirtiest rivers, making the success of Clearbot reasonably doubtful. “If you ask me, the biggest achievement would be cleaning the lake and reviving its beauty. I say this because I’ve never seen this kind of garbage in a river before, even though we have been cleaning in Bangalore, Hong Kong, Thailand, to name a few,” Urkarsh Goel, the co-founder of Clearbot, pointed out.
One of the officials of SVM, Regia Kom added, “Meghalaya is known for its beauty. Tourists come from across the globe to breathe the fresh air of this place. If the people of the state fail to maintain its beauty, it will all fade away one day.”
The technology offers an affordable way to remove garbage, oil, and other substances effectively while using electricity. According to Pynshai Marpna, the project lead for this demonstration, these models need to be investigated in our state because they have the capacity to collect up to 15 litres of oil and 200 kg of floating garbage each day.
Waste from human activity ranges from unfiltered car wash and domestics’ usage to inadequate sewage and wastewater collection and treatment. Umshyrpi and Umkhrah rivers are not filtered before the accumulated garbage reaches Umiam Lake. The onus is also on tourists who throw empty cans, packages, and other trash on the roadside, only for them to be carried by rain water, for instance – they need to be vigilant and responsible.
The revival of Umiam Lake into its natural form requires commitment from residents, tourists and the government. Residents should not dump untreated sewage into lakes or rivers as it mixes with water that becomes contaminated. Garages should avoid releasing harmful chemicals and oils into storm drains and rivers, and exercise caution so oil is not spilt on the sewers and rivers. Environmental regulations should also be implemented, and people should be punished for polluting rivers and other bodies of water.
Umiam Lake belongs to all of us. Keeping it clean is a collective responsibility. Let’s remain optimistic in this mission. What we do now will be reflected upon by the future generations. Present-day interventions are, after all, towards a sustainable Meghalaya for our children from tomorrow.