SHILLONG, DEC 16: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has demanded the state government to order a high-level technical and administrative audit of the Shillong’s water supply following chronic water supply crisis stemming from alleged pipeline failures and administrative neglect.
In a letter submitted to PHE Minister Marcuise N Marak on Tuesday, HYC vice president Francis G Mawlong said, “We therefore urge your immediate intervention to: order a high-level technical and administrative audit of Shillong’s water supply infrastructure; initiate time-bound replacement of obsolete and failure-prone pipelines; fix responsibility for repeated lapses and take appropriate disciplinary action; and ensure long-term planning to prevent recurrence of such failures.”
Expressing grave concern over the frequent disruptions, Mawlong said, “The situation has now degenerated into a chronic civic crisis. Entire localities are routinely left without water for days, causing severe hardship to residents, including the elderly, children, and the sick.”
The HYC attributes the crisis to “years of neglect, poor infrastructure planning, lack of preventive maintenance, and absence of accountability within the PHE Department”.
Mawlong emphasized, “Temporary patchwork repairs have become the norm, only to be followed by yet another breakdown, reflecting a complete disregard for sustainable solutions and public convenience.”
“Access to clean and uninterrupted drinking water is a basic civic right. The continued failure to ensure this essential service not only erodes public trust but also raises serious questions about governance, financial utilisation, and departmental efficiency,” he stated.
The HYC has warned that continued inaction will compel them to pursue public and legal remedies, adding, “The people of Shillong cannot be expected to indefinitely endure administrative apathy and infrastructure collapse”.
By Our Reporter
