Aizawl bypass soil dumping may cause water shortage, activists caution authorities

Aizawl, Sept 30: The Aizawl-based Centre for Environment and Social Justice (CEJS) has raised serious concerns over the ongoing construction of the Aizawl bypass on the western side of the city, as the dumping of soil from the project is posing a grave threat to the Tlawng river, which serves as the primary water source for Aizawl city.

Despite the Aizawl Forest Division issuing a stay order to the Project Director of the Project Implementing Unit (PWD), CEJS argues that this action is insufficient to address violations of the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) of 1980 and the Environment Protection Act (EPA) of 1986.

Social activist Ruatfela Nu, chairman of CEJS, said that after a visit to the site on September 26, they discovered that the dumping of soil into the river has caused significant damage.

“If this continues, come the next monsoon, we are certain that Aizawl’s three to four lakh residents will face a serious water shortage,” she said.

In a statement, the CEJS said that it had filed a written complaint with the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) on September 15, highlighting the project’s failure to obtain necessary forest clearance. Additionally, the complaint raised alarms about the harmful effects of dumping excavated soil into the Tlawng river, resulting in the river’s turbidity often exceeding safe treatment limits during the monsoon season.

In response to the complaint, the Range Forest Officers from the Aizawl Forest Range and Aibawk Forest Range issued a stay order against the illegal disposal of muck within the Riverine Reserved Forest area. However, CEJS has expressed dissatisfaction, arguing that this measure is insufficient, given the substantial environmental damage already caused.

The organisation also criticised the State Public Health Engineering department, responsible for ensuring safe drinking water for the public, and the Mizoram Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for their apparent inaction to the frequent river pollution.

Ruatfela Nu further pointed out that the contractor had failed to obtain forest clearance before beginning the project. Through an RTI (Right to Information) query, CEJS discovered that the contractor only sought forest clearance much later in the process.

She said, “Any project passing through forest areas, including linear projects, is legally required to obtain forest clearance before commencing work – whether the land is forest or non-forest. This constitutes a serious violation of the law, which could lead to substantial fines. The stay order merely on the grounds of ‘muck disposal’ is both inadequate and unfortunate.”

Ruatfela Nu concluded by stating that if the issue remains unresolved, CEJS may have no choice but to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT). In such an event, the Divisional Forest Officer of Aizawl Division and the Department of Forest and Climate Change, Government of Mizoram, would be named as Respondents No. 2 in the case, she stated.