Cleaning drive at Jowai: Wah Myntdu will not be the next Wah Umkhrah

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 10, 2021

The fear of Wah Myntdu meeting the fate of Shillong’s Wah Umkhrah motivated the Synjuk Ki Waheh Chnong Jowai to sustain the Jowai Town’s main water source, said Alan Niangti, president of Synjuk Waheh Chnong.

He was speaking the closing function of the daylong cleaning drive programme organised by the Synjuk Waheh Chnong, Jowai, on Saturday.

As a result, the Synjuk Waheh Chnong committee organised a mass cleaning drive for Wah Myntdu in order to provide a clean water source for the town of Jowai, and the Synjuk Waheh Chnong committee is committed to hosting more cleaning drives in the future, the president stated.

Speaking on the programme, Deputy Project Director, NRM, Meghalaya Community-led Landscape Management Project, James T. Kharkongor said, “Looking at the Wah Myntdu, it is noticeably very clean and it cannot be compared to Wah Umkhrah which is no longer a river but a drain filled with plastic waste.”

Chief Guest, Chairman of Jowai Municipal Board, Phidel War said “We don’t have our own disposal site or technology to recycle or treat all the waste that we produce. Therefore segregation of waste components should be encouraged at source for effective waste management in Jowai.”

He lauded the Synjuk Waheh Shnong, Jowai for organising the mass cleaning drive and he also suggested a biodegradable machine, costing around 7 lakhs, which would be beneficial for different localities.

Earlier, the town-wide cleaning drive for the Myntdu river began from the Madan Chadsukra, Iawmusiang, Jowai with an inaugural programme where the president of Synjuk Waheh Chnong presented caps to members. The members present were Waheh Chnong of Tympang Iawmusiang, Eddystone Shylla, Daloi Elaka Jowai and the Chief Guest, Deputy Commissioner Garod L.S.N Dykes, who flagged off the cleaning programme after his speech.

All localities of Jowai took part along the Wah Myntdu river banks closest to their respective communities. The cleaning campaign came to an end at Kroh Syntu Ksiar, Pynthorwah, Panaliar, Jowai, with a closing programme.