The Myntdu and Lukha Blues: The Acidic Rivers of Meghalaya

As indicated by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board in 2008, the bluish hue accumulating in the Myntdu and Lukha rivers, although picturesque, is anything but benign. Having destroyed the aquatic life, the toxic waters have resulted in ruining the livelihoods of the communities living in the surrounding areas. Jonathan Donald Syiemlieh points out that these contaminated rivers are unfit for sustenance or consumption, and have, therefore, emerged as a formidable health and national challenge.

- Jonathan Donald Syiemlieh

The Myntdu and Lukha rivers, which are the major water bodies in Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, have witnessed a change in colour—to a dark-bluish tint—which is attributed to anthropogenic activities, such as mining of coal and limestone and manufacturing of cement in the catchment area of the rivers.

During 2007, due to death of fish and other life forms, the livelihoods of the local fishing communities were destroyed. Recent evidences comprised dead fish seen floating over a distance of 25 km on the water surface of the Lukha River spanning the length of Sakhri to Borsora villages in 2013 and as late as February 2017. The bluish colour of the rivers was observed as early as January 2007 and it is indeed astonishing that till date, the government and scientists have not been able to suggest the causes of this phenomenon.

The Genesis

The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) indicated in a 2008 report that the Lukha was polluted and had turned blue as its tributary, the Lunar River, was highly acidic and reacted with the limestone effluents causing the bluish tint in the river. The contaminants of the coal and limestone leaching and effluents were so lethal that it killed the life forms in the tributary as well as the Lukha River. The report also pointed out that lack of rainfall in the catchment area was also a determining factor in disturbing the aquatic life forms as rainwater could not reach the confluence and dilute the contaminated water in the winter months. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had earlier indicated in a report that the high acid content in the rivers will prevent the sustenance of any life forms. It also declared the water unfit for consumption. The pH values of most of the sampling locations contravened both the national and global permissible limits prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for drinking water and by the World Health Organization (WHO).