The Umngot river in Meghalaya is the cleanest in the country, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said in a tweet. Popularly known as Dawki river, river Umngot is 100 kilometre from Shillong in Meghalaya.
"It seems as if the boat is in the air; water is so clean and transparent. Wish all our rivers were as clean. Hats off to the people of Meghalaya," The Ministry of Jal Shakti wrote on Twitter.
Umngot flows in Mawlynnong village, close to India’s border with Bangladesh, which is touted as “Asia’s Cleanest Village". It acts as a natural divide between Jaintia and Khasi hills, before finally flowing into Bangladesh.
In April this year, the residents of the Meghalaya protested against the proposed dam on the Umngot river.
Tides of protest bubbled to protect the Umngot river where a 210 MW hydroelectric project has been proposed.
Separately, the Centre allocated ₹9,800 crore as a grant to the North-eastern states under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). The JJM aims at providing tap water to all households in the country by 2024.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that JJM will help in bridging the gap between urban and rural areas. The Mission will bring tap water to every home, thereby ending the drudgery faced by women and girls who now fetch water from outside.
