The documentary titled "Um- How Rivers Die" created by Film makers, Kenny L. Khongsder and Ban L. Nongbri for the "Rally for Rivers" documentary competition, is an indictment of the people of Meghalaya. The video can be found in the "Rally for Rivers" Facebook page.
The documentary follows the path of a river the "Wah Thangsiang" stream from its source in Shillong Reserve Forest to its end at Umiam Lake. Up in the forests the river emerges clean and fresh but as it nears human dwellings, thrash in the form of plastic bags can be seen floating in the river. By the time the film arrives at Laitumkhrah, open drains can be seen leading into the river, unleashing raw untreated sewage into the river, there is even a scene where a woman nonchalantly throws garbage into the river unafraid of anyone reprimanding her. It only gets worse from there as the water gets dirtier and much more horrible. Plastic bags, sewage, garbage of all types can be seen floating in the water in ever increasing quantities as the scenes drift down through Polo, Wahingdoh, Jaiaw, Mawprem. At Bishop & Beacons falls there are piles of garbage clinging to the edge of the waterfalls. Then finally we arrive at Umiam. Its here, the scene where the boat slowly approaches the massive fly infested pile of floating garbage that the true scale of the horror of irresponsibility of the people of the state is put on display for all to see.
The sight of the massive collection of waste at the mouth of Umiam is truly ironic considering how the lake is advertised as some sort of tourist destination. I wonder what tourists would think if they knew of the monstrosity that hides at the mouth of the lake.
What struck me most however was the people who lived alongside this horribly polluted river. They are the main contributors of its pollution. Throwing their waste into its waters, connecting their toilets directly to the water, their drains flowing unfiltered into it. They know how dirty the water is, but they have become so desensitized to the situation, like the woman emptying her dustbin directly into the water, they no longer care. No one punishes them, no authority comes to check, no one raises a single objection. Irresponsibility and criminal neglect are the norm.
The concern then goes as to why the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board has not raised alarm bells over the pollution levels in the lake. As can be seen in the documentary peopleople still live and depend on the waters along the rivers and lakes of Meghalaya. Fishing forms an integral part of many families who live along the lakeside. Are they being poisoned by the fish they catch in the lake? The Meghalaya Government has a lot to questions to answer and perhaps with the upcoming elections voters might use their electoral rights to get answers.
The question then arises as to what can be done to save the rivers? The obvious solution would be to start punishing the residents along the river who let their waste products flow into it. But this would not be a long term solution, there must be a ban on buildings or houses for atleast 50-100 meters on either bank of the rivers. The National Green Tribunal's (NGT) idea of a 2 km forest cover on either side of a river is simply not practical in a high density population area. There must be a waste water treatment plant at the mouth of the Umiam Lake. Firstly, there must be a clean up of the current piles of garbage and the lake must be desilted as well but a long term solution to this problem is to build a proper water treatment plant preferably run by an private company at the entrance of Umiam Lake. This would clean up the lake in the long term and ensure its safety, making it an actual tourist destination. The rivers of Europe and North America were once heavily polluted like ours but by scientific endeavour and political will they managed to save their rivers, surely we can do the same?
Credit must be given to Kenny L. Khongsder and Ban L. Nongbri for their efforts at bringing the horror of the pollution of rivers in Shillong to light. Their documentary is well shot and they must have taken quite a few risks to show people the pollution. Kudos to them.
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