DIPHU, Dec 5 - The women of Howraghat have demanded that the sacred Jamuna river be cleaned up. To clean up the Jamuna river, the women of the town worshipped the Goddess Ganga here on its banks on Sunday. The women who had gathered in the function expressed their serious concern over the state of the Jamuna river. They said that they will take recourse to the law for action against the people who are polluting the river.
It may be mentioned that the sickening sight of human faeces on the banks of the river, which is the lifeline of Howraghat town in eastern Karbi Anglong has infuriated the town dwellers. On inquiry, it was found that the majority of the people living in Ward Nos. 5 and 6 relieve themselves openly on the river bed. This apart, scores of insanitary, dirty and germ-infested toilets having no septic tanks are polluting the water of this river by letting human wastes directly into the river water by linking the lavatory pipe to the river. This river, linked to the major rivers of the State not only irrigates the whole area but it was also the main trade route before independence. Thousands of people from across undivided India settled in this town which after 1950 was added to Karbi Anglong district from mainland Assam.
Jamuna, the only perennial river of Howraghat and Bakalia plains of this hilly district, has become a garbage dumping location for a section of inhabitants of this town. This has posed a major health threat to the people who get water for consumption from this river. The domestic animals also facing a similar threat.
It needs to be mentioned that it was a stomach-churning sight to spot the flow of noxious filth contaminating the unpolluted waterway near Ward Nos. 5 and 6 close to the bathing place near the temple of Lord Jagannath, from where hundreds of devotees collect holy water. This place is also utilised for the immersion of deities after the Durga and Kali pujas. Amazingly, along with the residents of the locality, the Howraghat Town Committee, which never ceases from making tall claims about its work, has turned a blind eye to this hellish situation.