Meghalaya minister oversees testing of pumping systems at Mawphlang dam

Shillong, Nov 19 (PTI) Meghalaya minister Marcuise Marak on Wednesday oversaw the testing of pumping systems at the Mawphlang Dam under the long-delayed Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme Phase-III (GSWSS-III) - a milestone coming nearly 17 years after the project was sanctioned.

The scheme, approved in 2008, is designed to augment water supply to the capital. The commissioning of the Mawphlang pumps will now enable release of an additional 8 million litres per day (MLD) to Shillong.

The public health engineering minister said the successful testing marks a "significant step forward" in resolving the city's persistent water shortage.

GSWSS-III, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 193 crore and revised multiple times over the years, faced prolonged delays due to land acquisition hurdles, forest clearance procedures, COVID-era disruptions, and repeated cost escalations.

The scheme aims to draw raw water from the Mawphlang dam, treat it at the existing purification plant, and distribute it to the Greater Shillong area through new pumping and transmission systems.

According to 2025 Assembly data, Shillong requires about 5.58 crore litres per day (55.8 MLD), while the PHE department currently supplies only 4.17 crore litres per day (41.7 MLD) - leaving a shortfall of 1.40 crore litres per day (14 MLD).

Officials said the commissioning of GSWSS-III is expected to partially bridge this deficit once full-scale distribution begins.

"Completion of Phase-III will substantially reduce the gap," a senior PHE official said, adding that stabilisation of supply lines will be undertaken over the next few weeks.

Shillong has faced chronic water shortages for years, forcing large sections of the population to depend on private tankers, seasonal springs and community-managed sources.

GSWSS-III has been repeatedly cited by successive governments as the key intervention to expand the city's supply network.

Marak added that the government is working to "ensure that the long-pending promise of improved water supply for Shillong becomes a reality at the earliest." PTI JOP MNB