Shillong: With large-scale construction underway in Shillong, its outskirts and across East Khasi Hills, DM Rosetta Mary Kurbah has issued an order against the “indiscriminate dumping” of waste, especially loose soil and construction debris.In the order, Kurbah said complaints had been received about “many construction activities” in and around the district, including the building of houses, roads, schools, dams, pipelines, and commercial and industrial projects.“Such construction activities involve extraction or sourcing or borrowing of ordinary earth, stones and boulders, resulting in huge quantity of loose soil and debris being extracted, which are often indiscriminately disposed of and dumped along the road or nearby the catchment area and water sources, without identifying proper dumping ground and without prior intimation or permission from the concerned authorities for proper disposal,” the DM stated.She said the monsoon and heavy rain were worsening the impact, with dumped soil and debris being washed into rivers, rivulets, water bodies and drinking water sources.“In view of the monsoon season and heavy rain, these soil and debris are washed away, finally reaching the rivers/rivulets and water bodies, including drinking water sources. Such indiscriminate dumping has caused pollution to the rivers, water bodies, drinking water sources and rivulets in the East Khasi Hills District, especially during heavy rainfall, thereby, affecting drinking water, making it unfit for consumption and domestic use, besides posing a threat to humans as well as aquatic life,” the DM mentioned.Kurbah warned that continued pollution could trigger a drinking water crisis, health risks and environmental damage.“I am of the opinion that such acts of polluting of the river, if allowed to continue, is likely to result in scarcity of drinking water, cause health hazards and also affect the environment of the areas around. It has thereby become necessary to prevent such acts in larger public interests,” the DM underscored.Issued under Section 163 of the BNSS, the order prohibits unauthorized construction involving excavation of earth, soil or boulders without identifying a proper dumping ground and mitigation measures to prevent water pollution.It also bars non-compliance with the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, and the standard operating procedures and environmental safeguards issued by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board.
