LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Water wars at Laitkor in Shillong!

Date: January 3, 2017

To

The Editor

TNT- the Northeast Today

Respected Sir/Ma'am

The Lok Sabha was recently informed that over 10 crore people in  the country are getting water contaminated with excess fluoride. Access  to clean drinking water is a far flung dream for  the country,  the dilemma not always lies with  the political might but  the conscience of each and every one of us.

Water has been  the biggest problem in Laitkor for anyone coming as a newcomer, precious time and money are wasted in filling  the tanks ranging from 200 litres  to 1000 litres. Queues line up in  the morning with women and children fetching water but when you ask locals living in  the area about  the prospect of having pipes through a system of channeling  the MLA scheme  to getting better pipes  to each and every home,  the answer brings a pall gloom in your face. Forget checking  the quality of water but are  the tanks cleaned every three months?

Face saving is always a better option for many local authorities who are tasked  to plug these holes.  The solution that lies is not a continent away but just few miles or hours. Summer or winter,  the action should be taken immediately by  the local MLA and  the collective intervention of everyone.

Yours faithfully,

C. L Gatphoh