The tourist destination Umiam Lake in Meghalaya has been foundpolluted by a committee of the Meghalaya Assembly on Environment saying that itwill end in 2024.

The committee comprising of Independent MLA from Mawphlang constituency, S.K. Sun during a visit to the lake for inspection found that the life of the lake has been reduced by 41 years i.e. from 100 to 59 years. The committee said that the adverse impact on the life of the Umiam dam was the result of a huge deposit of garbage and silt.

The chairman of the committee said that the committee oninspecting the lake was surprised to see that the lake has become a dumpingplace for all types of garbage.

He also stated that though most of the garbage has settled atthe bottom of the lake but the quantity of the garbage including plastic wastewas seen floating in the lake and the quantity was abnormally huge. While assessingthe pollution of the lake with the State Pollution Board, it said that Umkhrahand Umshyrpi Rivers are like open sewers adding that the two rivers areover-burdened not only with liquid waste but with tons of solid waste whichinclude plastic that drain into the Umiam Lake.

During the span of the inspection, the Me.E.C.L officialsinformed the committee that the dam has a design life of 100 years but now itseems that the life span ha reduced till 2024 due to increasing pollution inthe lake.

The chairman of the Meghalaya Assembly Committee further informed that the Me.E.C.L officials admitted that the quantity of silt deposited is about 0.5 million cubic meters every year.