SHILLONG:
Giving a progress report on the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) phase-III, Minister in-charge Public Health Engineering (PHE) Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar, on April 5, said that the government has sanctioned Rs 65 crore for the much-awaited project and it will be complete by December this year.
Further informing that the said amount is the revised estimate for the project, Tongkhar said that 75 per cent of the work on the GSWSS-III is complete. “The other day I met the contractors working on the project and 7they informed me they will be able to complete the project before December, this year,” Tongkhar said.
The minister also said that, once completed, the project will ensure water supply to each and every household in Shillong as well as the nearby villages.
“As you know, under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), rural households are anyways getting water. But since Shillong city is not included in the JJM as of now, households here will get water through this scheme (GSWSS),” he said.
Earlier on March 24, the minister had informed that the required estimate for the GSWSS-III has been sanctioned by the government and all necessary clearances have been acquired. “There should not be any more reason not to complete the project because all the hurdles, such as payment to the Public Work Department (PWD) and clearance from Ministry of Defense, have been resolved,” he said, adding that whatever coordination needs to be maintained with the locals too have been done.
The PHE minister also stressed on the need to protect the catchment areas of Umiew River, which is the main source of the GSWSS. “I am happy that protection of the catchment area has got a place in the budget presented by the chief minister in the just concluded Assembly session,” he said, adding that rampant sand and stone mining is posing a serious threat to the river.
“The government has earmarked funds for the catchment areas. If possible, we will start with Umiew river, which is the main source of the GSWSS, to ensure its sustainability,” he added.
He also informed that since land here is being owned by private individuals and clans, if the government wants to protect it, it has to acquire them.
“The success story of protection of water sources of catchment areas will happen only when there is community participation. Otherwise, it is very difficult for the government to do it alone,” he said, urging the village authority to take ownership of the water bodies by bringing resolution among themselves that they will not allow anybody to fell tree or conduct any anti-environment activities that hamper the water sources.