From hills to hell: Destructive floods in two states

Dr Marc Nongmaithem

As Assam and Meghalaya reel under one of the most destructive flood emergencies in recent memory, the cause is no longer a mystery. The catastrophic damage is directly linked to the reckless actions of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). These agencies, entrusted with building the region’s future, have instead engineered its collapse through irresponsible planning, unregulated hill cutting, and blatant disregard for environmental safeguards. In regions like Jorabat, Boko, Silkigre, Dalu, and even urban centres like Guwahati, the destruction follows a clear pattern: every flood zone sits in or around sites where NHAI or NHIDCL have been carrying out large-scale highway projects.

Unregulated construction turning hills into death zones

The most tragic irony is that the very projects meant to improve connectivity have disconnected communities, not by infrastructure but by water. In the Jorabat area, torrential rain runoff turned the highway into a river. Further down NH-17, key routes connecting Tura and Guwahati were wiped out. In West Garo Hills, residents of Dalu and Silkigre reported that repeated unchecked dumping of soil along riverbanks by highway contractors had choked natural drainage paths.

These are not isolated mistakes. They are the result of deliberate neglect of hydrological data, environmental assessments, and the voices of local communities.

A legacy of negligence across projects

Consider the infamous Shillong-Dawki Road project. In 2023, a landslide killed two people.

Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister lambasted NHIDCL for poor safety protocols and a lack of accountability. Similarly, in Barak Valley and along NH-6, residents have seen their local roads submerged and livelihoods threatened.

Time and again, these agencies have violated basic engineering ethics. Roads are being built without proper drainage. Flyovers are constructed with no understanding of water runoff paths. Hill cutting is done without slope stabilisation. Soil and debris are dumped into rivers and valleys without even a glance at the long-term consequences.

SC intervention sidestepped in favour of politics

The Supreme Court recently flagged the need for urgent discussion between the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya on cross-border flood impacts. However, rather than making this an emergency-focused meeting, political leaders seem to have diverted attention to controversial border realignment plans and satellite studies that offer no short-term relief.

Serious concerns have emerged that these efforts may be setting the stage for creating a new autonomous region along Assam’s borders with neighbouring states, potentially to be populated in the future by implementing the NRC and CAA frameworks. There may not yet be widespread public outrage, but growing awareness points to a deeper concern that this disaster is being exploited as a strategic opportunity to advance political agendas rather than address the urgent needs of the people.

The stakes are too high for inaction

 Citizens of Meghalaya and Assam cannot afford to wait for another monsoon to be sacrificed at the altar of development without accountability. Immediate demands must include:

• Penal action against NHAI and NHIDCL for environmental violations
• Judicial orders for the re-evaluation of all active highway projects for environmental impact
• Mandated community engagement before and during major infrastructure works
• Halting all hill-cutting operations until reviewed by independent geologists
• Immediate compensation and restoration work in affected flood zones
• Public apology and acknowledgement of failures from the leadership of both states

Court, the public, and the press must act now

It is time for the judiciary, citizens, journalists, and civil society groups to rise in unison and demand justice. Infrastructure must be sustainable and rooted in the ecological realities of our region. The hills cannot become hell in the name of highways.

This disaster is man-made. It is engineered. And someone must be held accountable.

(Views are personal)