Umngot River

Umngot River

Why in news:

• A 210 MW hydroelectric project has been proposed on Umngot, considered India’s clearest river.
• The dam is proposed on the upstream of the river Umngot in the West Jaintia Hills district .
• The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) which had scheduled a public hearing for the proposed project has been obstructed from conducting the public hearing by the villagers of East Khasi Hills district.

Umngot River:

• Umngot flows through Dawki, a small but busy town in the East Jaintia Hills district near the Indo-Bangladesh border. The town itself is a mere 95 km from Shillong.
• Dawki serves as a busy trade route between India and Bangladesh where hundreds of trucks pass every day.
• The Umngot itself is a prime fishing spot for fishermen from nearby areas.
• The river is the natural boundary between Ri Pnar (of Jaintia Hills) with Hima Khyrim (of Khasi Hills) over which hangs a single span suspension bridge
• It is the gateway to Bangladesh

Issues:

• The villages are near the border with Bangladesh in East Khasi Hills district but the dam is proposed upstream in the adjoining West Jaintia Hills district.
• The locals fear that the project, if executed, would cause irreparable losses by wiping out their areas from the tourism map, besides affecting many villages in the downstream areas dependent on the Umngot.
• The project documents say people of 13 villages along the Umngot are likely to lose 296 hectares of land due to submergence if the dam comes up.