NONGPOH, Oct 22: Leaders and members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Umsning Circle, monitored Nongmahir Lake in Ri-Bhoi district on Wednesday to prevent puja committees from immersing Durga idols, citing concerns over environmental pollution.
The move followed the union’s earlier opposition to the proposed immersion of idols in Nongmahir Lake, a popular artificial lake in the district and an important tourist attraction in the region.
Umsning Circle president Lester Nongbet and general secretary Laraplang Nongbri led the KSU team. The KSU North Khasi Hills District (NKHD) unit general secretary James Hitler Mawphniang and Nongmahir village headman Elbin Ripnar accompanied the duo and other union members.
Following the union’s intervention, no idol immersion was reported at the lake on Wednesday. Local village leaders and residents seeking to protect the water body from pollution welcomed the development.
Speaking to the media, Nongbet said the union took the matter seriously, as indiscriminate immersion of idols in rivers and lakes could contribute to environmental pollution. He recalled that the KSU opposed idol immersion in the Umran River in 2023 and said the organisation would continue to oppose such practices in natural water bodies.
He said the union’s opposition to idol immersion at Nongmahir Lake stemmed from pollution concerns, as the lake is a tourist attraction and contributes to the livelihoods of the locals.
Nongbet referred to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2010. He said idol immersion should be carried out at designated artificial ponds or specially created facilities to prevent pollution of natural water bodies.
The KSU, in collaboration with Nongmahir village leaders, also organised a tree-planting drive on the lake’s periphery on Wednesday as part of its conservation efforts. The initiative aimed to preserve the area’s greenery and protect the surrounding environment.