The fabled Umngot River, famed for its glass-clear waters that once mirrored the sky at Dawki, has turned an alarming shade of brown, a transformation that has stirred outrage in Meghalaya and prompted Parliamentarian Ricky J Syngkon to seek the Centre’s immediate intervention.
In a letter addressed to Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Bhupender Yadav, Syngkon warned of “severe environmental degradation” caused by unregulated construction and hill-cutting under the Shillong–Tamabil road expansion project in West Jaintia Hills. The 71-km stretch, being implemented under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has allegedly triggered extensive siltation in the river basin.
“The Umngot River, a symbol of Meghalaya's pristine natural heritage and a major tourism asset, has tragically turned muddy and lifeless this October, a period when its waters should be crystal clear,” Syngkon stated, noting the distress among local communities, tourism operators and environmental groups.
He alleged that “large quantities of excavated materials have been dumped directly into the Umtyngar and Umngot river systems under NHIDCL supervision,” without “visible spoil bank management or silt containment measures.” Such negligence, he said, violated essential environmental safeguards and mirrored lapses for which the National Green Tribunal had penalised agencies in similar cases, including a Rs 2-crore fine for pollution in Uttarakhand’s Bhagirathi River.
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The MP criticised the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board for its “inaction despite clear evidence of violations,” and demanded a high-level central inspection. He emphasised that unchecked dumping was not only damaging the fragile river ecosystem but also crippling the livelihoods of hundreds dependent on river-based tourism.
Thousands of visitors from across India and abroad travel each year to Dawki to experience the famed “floating boats” over the transparent waters of the Umngot. That reputation, Syngkon lamented, has been “badly affected, with many tourists cancelling their trips this season.”
He urged the government to suspend all hill-cutting and soil disposal activities affecting the Umngot and its tributaries until proper mitigation measures are in place. He also sought environmental compensation against NHIDCL “on the lines of the NGT’s Bhagirathi case,” quarterly independent monitoring of the project, and a long-term restoration and rehabilitation plan for the river.
“It is crucial to ascertain whether proper Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and monitoring reports were filed and acted upon,” Syngkon said, questioning whether JICA’s stringent environmental safeguards were being honoured.
Calling the Umngot “a living symbol of Meghalaya's heritage and the spirit of sustainable coexistence,” the MP cautioned that failure to act decisively could cost the state one of its most iconic natural treasures. “If immediate remedial measures are not taken, we risk losing a globally renowned natural wonder,” he warned.
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