SHILLONG: With the Union ministry of tourism recently selecting Umiam Lake (Barapani) as a mega tourist destination, the issue related to pollution in the lake has been raked up again. The lake is among 45 tourist circuits in the country to be developed as a major tourist spot.
Out of the 45 identified projects, 30 have already been sanctioned, an official statement said. "For each identified mega destination and circuit, the ministry of tourism's contribution as Central financial assistance is Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 crore respectively under the scheme of product/infrastructure development for destinations and circuits," the statement read.
Nevertheless, tonnes of silt, filth, soil and other solid waste are draining into the lake, slowly polluting the most enchanting fresh water body in the northeast. It was constructed in 1965 for storage of water for power generation. But over the years, the scenic lake became the most visited tourist spot in Meghalaya.
But today, pollution has taken such a heavy toll on it that its water is no longer fit for drinking or even recreation purposes. Umiam is filled by rain water in its catchment area measuring 221 sq km and comprising mainly forest and agricultural land.
As many as 16 streams and rivulets drain into the lake. A concrete dam was constructed on the Umiam River at a place, 16 kms from Shillong, on NH 40. The impounded water is conveyed through a two-km long tunnel to the Umiam Stage I hydro electric project power house at Sumer to produce power.
"However, the significant social and economic changes that have taken place over the years in the catchment area have unfortunately brought about adverse ecological effects on the reservoir which calls for urgent preventive and remedial measures so that it remains sustainable during the rest of its projected life span," said an official in the PHE department.
"The rapid urbanization of the catchment area of Umiam river, particularly the unplanned and haphazard growth of Shillong city which comes within the catchment, the unscientific methods of agriculture adopted and rampant deforestation that has been taking place all these years have generated pollutants and silt that flow into the reservoir daily. The resultant pollution and silting of the reservoir has polluted the waterbody," he added.
Experts feel if the problem is not addressed immediately, the damage on the reservoir and the power scenario in Meghalaya will be beyond redemption.
Years ago WAPCOS, an organization under the Union ministry of water resources which studied the extent of pollution and siltation of the Umiam reservoir, had observed that the sediment load deposited in the reservoir was due to "uncontrolled activities" taking place in the catchment area. As a result, the storage capacity of the reservoir has been reduced by 28.9 per cent in the case of dead storage and 5.5 per cent in the case of live storage.
In other words, water depth of 70 feet, which can be utilized, is the live storage while anything below this level to the bottom is dead storage. The lake, which has an area of over 100 sqmiles, was designed with a life span of 100 years, which means it would become unsuitable for generating power after 2065.
The maximum depth of the lake is around 200 ft which is also the height of the dam. The long term measures suggested by WAPCOS included multi-tier vegetation on the land within the catchment; protection of existing forests, as well as newly raised forest plantations on both sides of the river, stop jhum (slash and burn) cultivation, encourage private and sacred forest concept, new areas to be brought under forest; construction of silt detention dams and establishment of silt observation stations to enable monitoring of quality of load on the river.
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