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Veteran educators and flood-affected farmers Pampok Lego and Joint Tayeng echoed similar concerns. They stressed that the threat of soil erosion from the Siang River—now only a few meters from their fields—is extremely severe.
“If the river’s current isn’t diverted or neutralized this monsoon, we will lose our land. This is a last-resort effort to save our livelihoods,” said Lego.
Youth leader Kalingbung Tayeng, actively participating in the boulder bund construction, appealed to Chief Minister Pema Khandu for urgent assistance.
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“We request the state government to sanction sufficient funds for constructing proper flood control measures along the left bank of Siang River, particularly in the Kongkin area, to save our WRC fields,” he said.
The voluntary flood control work is being carried out at two critical erosion points near the confluence of the Tatsing and Siang rivers, just south of New Borguli village.
Over the past two and a half decades, continuous flood erosion by the Siang has wreaked havoc in Borguli and surrounding Monggu Banggo areas under the 39th Assembly Constituency. The infamous “Chinese flood” of 2000 drastically altered the river’s course from the right to the left bank, leading to massive destruction of agricultural land and infrastructure.
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Hundreds of hectares of fertile land, alongside crucial infrastructure such as the Mebo-Dhola road, electric poles, schools, and hospitals, have been washed away—most notably over the last 8 to 10 years.
Residents now pin their hopes on the construction of a permanent flood control structure—a road-cum-flood control bund—spanning the Siang’s left bank from Sigar to Mer village, covering approximately 20 to 30 kilometers.
“Only a permanent and comprehensive flood control solution can ensure the survival of our agricultural heritage and protect the lifelines of our region,” urged the farmers’ group.