SHILLONG: The government slogan that "Let's Make Meghalaya Clean and Green" may end up being an empty rhetoric if urgent steps are not taken to deal with the problem of thermocole pieces or styrofoam dumped by fish-loaded Shillong-bound trucks on the National Highway 40. Mounds of this non-biodegradable pollutant seen on various stretches of highway are not just an eyesore to tourists visiting Meghalaya. They are a potential threat to the environment and human health as well. What is more worrying is that the authorities concerned have not taken note of this menace, let alone action against erring truckers. Heaps of styrofoam are a common sight in most parts of Pahamri-oh near Nongpoh, Umling and Mawiong along the highway. People residing in these areas have alleged that trucks regularly dump thermocole pieces while on their way to Shillong to unload fish. "We are helpless as the authorities have not taken any steps to stop this menace by truckers," Wanbha Syngkli, a resident of Umling, told this reporter. He felt that fish traders in Shillong must instruct truckers not to dump thermocole pieces on the roadside. Surprisingly, the Ri-Bhoi district administration is also not taking any action to clean up the areas and penalise the erring truckers. According to rules, the district administration has the power to enforce various sections of the IPC to curb any activities by truckers that hamper maintenance of cleanliness in public places and affect the environment. Rampant dumping of thermocole on the roadside at Mawiong has also continued interrupted. One of the affected places is the site where the Tourism Department is planning to construct a viewpoint overlooking the Umiam Lake. Local people feared that if urgent steps were not taken to remove the thermocole pieces from the spot, such pollutants could find their way to the already polluted lake, causing more environmental hazards. Thermocole has also turned Khlieh Iewduh bus stand into one of the dirtiest spots in the area thanks again to trucks carrying fish. Sources said Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board should sit up and take serious note of the growing threat of styrofoam to the environment.