By Sanjeeb Kakoty
As I sat listening to the speakers in the recently concluded Shillong Literary Festival, discordant thoughts often disturbed my languid reverie of a future seen through the prism of stories , poetry, music , wine, beauty and hope.
Visitors were mesmerised by the beauty of our state and the warmth of the people. They all promised to come back. But the question that remained at the top of my mind was how do we maintain the pristine beauty of our hills and rivers and ensure inclusive growth that ensures smiling people to welcome visitors? This is no trivial question as the signs of things going wrong are too many to ignore and if things are not done now, it will be too late.
Day three of the Lit Fest had the Chief Minister arrive before time and deliver an impressive speech that spoke with his characteristic passion and fluent articulation, the ground below started to shake. It was an earthquake, and he joked that maybe he had spoken a wee bit too loud! To me it was a subtle reminder that all plans of development will come a cropper unless we prioritise climate change and the environment.
It hardly needs to be stressed that Meghalaya, the “Abode of Clouds,” is facing an ecological and urban crisis that threatens not only its identity but its very future. The warning signs are screaming to be heard. Lukha has been weeping in agony and turning blue in the process. Its alluring blue is a toxic illusion. The surreal bluish tint of the Lukha River each winter masks a grim reality-acid mine drainage from coal and limestone mining. Fish deaths have devastated local fisheries, and trans-boundary pollution threatens aquatic biodiversity in Bangladesh. The acids running into it have destroyed almost all life forms in it and the water has been rendered undrinkable. If the death of Lukha was not bad enough, Umngot is wailing out in pain. The pristine Umngot, once called the cleanest river in the world, has turned a muddy brown today due to road construction. Infrastructure development that does not incorporate the global best practices of environmental impact, assessment and designing for climate resilience has caused immense damage in India. Examples of the Chardham road project, the recent tragedies in Himachal, Kashmir , Uttarakhand and Kerala are just the tip of the iceberg. Reports about Umngot speak about construction debris from the Shillong–Dawki highway project silting the river, prompting the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board to fine NHIDCL Rs 15 lakh and demanding urgent corrective measures. But the damage has been done and an immediate fallout has been economic. Tourism has plummeted, hitting local livelihoods hard.
In Meghalaya, landslides and fragile roads are emerging as an area of concern. Unscientific hill-cutting for road expansion has destabilized slopes. Experts warn that infrastructure projects that lack climate resilience, make disasters inevitable. Unscientific hill-cutting has destabilized fragile slopes. In April 2025, geologists sounded the alarm near Pynursla when NH-40 expansion began damaging hillsides.
May–June 2025’s torrential rains triggered over 70 landslides, killing four people and severely damaging infrastructure along NH-6 and NH-206. Since October 2023, over a dozen fatalities have been reported from landslide-prone regions like West Jaintia and Garo Hills
It is estimated that more than half of Meghalaya resides in its urban areas and there is neither urban planning nor a wide encompassing urban body to take care of its cites. Municipalities are a pale shadow of what it should be. What we witness daily is an urban nightmare that is choking us with ever growing traffic and waste. The story is the same everywhere, be it Nongstoin, Tura, Jowai or Shillong.
Shillong, once a quaint hill station, is now choking under traffic congestion and unplanned urban sprawl. Narrow roads clogged with vehicles create gridlock daily, while illegal roadside parking worsens the chaos. Meanwhile, the city generates 171 tonnes of waste daily, overwhelming the Marten landfill. Garbage clogs drains, rivers, and public spaces, with little segregation or scientific disposal. Despite Smart City promises, waste management remains a glaring failure.
Agriculture and Soil Erosion is another problem that is hardly addressed. Loss of topsoil due to deforestation and reckless construction has left farmers struggling. Erratic rainfall patterns compound the crisis, threatening food security and rural livelihoods. Meghalaya is not just on the verge of ecological collapse, it is actually living its early stages. Rivers are polluted, hills unstable, cities gridlocked, and waste unchecked. Without strict enforcement of environmental norms, climate-smart planning, and community-led conservation, the state risks losing its natural heritage and livability.
The tremor that morning when Conrad was speaking was simply trying to shake off the complacency of the state. There is no better place to start than with its young and energetic Chief Minister. He has led by example so far and there is no reason why he should not be concerned about climate change and climate resilient planning. If he initiates it there is no reason why Meghalaya should not emerge as the best environmentally managed state. If we do it there is a lot to gain if we don’t there is everything to lose. Is the leadership of the state ready for the challenge?
( The author is a faculty at IIM Shillong and can be reached at [email protected])
