UMSNING: Taking a firm stand against water pollution, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Umsning Circle maintained a strict vigil at Nongmahir Lake to prevent the Zero Point area Puja Committee from immersing Durga Puja idols in the water body.
Heading the monitoring operations at the site were Umsning Circle President Samla Lester Nongbet and General Secretary Samla Laraplang Nongbri, alongside local support from Nongmahir Rangbah Shnong Bah Elbin Ripnar and union members.
Due to the active presence and opposition of the student body, the Puja Committee refrained from bringing idols to the lake.
Highlighting their ongoing environmental advocacy, the KSU noted a similar intervention in 2023, when the Umsning Circle successfully barred the local Puja Committee from immersing idols in the Umran Dairy River.
The union stressed that direct water body immersions blatantly violate the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and contravene Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines from 2010, which require the use of temporary pits or specially constructed artificial ponds for such rituals.
Promoting a message of ecological preservation alongside their protest, the KSU members and leaders utilized the day to carry out a tree plantation drive along the scenic banks of Nongmahir Lake.
(4FrontMedia news)
