Shillong, July 25: Village leaders from various villages in the Marmain area along the Meghalaya-Assam border, under Ri Bhoi district, on July 25, 2026, inspected a small vehicular bridge over Umpli river that was washed away by floodwaters following heavy rainfall in recent days.
According to the village leaders, the bridge was used by residents of 17 villages in Meghalaya and was constructed through financial contributions from local residents of both Meghalaya and Assam to facilitate transportation and the movement of people and goods across the area.
Khulia village headman and Chairman of the Synjuk ki Rangbah Shnong Marmain Circle, Komin Ingti, said the bridge was washed away by floodwaters on July 20, 2026. He said that, so far, no government authority from Meghalaya had visited the site to inspect the damage, except the MLA of Dimoria from Assam, Dr Tapan Das, who visited the area after receiving information from residents and facilitated assistance for the temporary construction of a bamboo footbridge for pedestrians.
The Synjuk has urged the Meghalaya Government to construct a permanent concrete bridge at the site to provide lasting connectivity and benefit the people of Marmain and residents living along the Assam border. “As people from Meghalaya living along the border, we share close brotherly relations with those living on the Assam side. If the Meghalaya Government constructs the bridge, we firmly hope that the people of Assam will also have no objection,” Komin Ingti said.
Marmain village headman Diren Klein also appealed to the Meghalaya Government to provide immediate assistance and compensation to farmers whose paddy fields have been severely damaged by the floodwaters. Several agricultural areas, stretching from Rongbeta to Khongwing, have reportedly been badly affected. “We also urge the Meghalaya Government to allocate funds for the construction of protective walls along the vulnerable stretches of Umpli river, as several areas belonging to Meghalaya have already been lost to Assam due to the erosion caused by the river,” Klein said.
