Urgent Call to Stop Illegal Riverbed Mining in Dima Hasao

The All Dimasa Students’ Union has raised alarms over illegal riverbed mining in Dima Hasao, urging authorities to take immediate action. They claim that excessive extraction is causing severe ecological damage, destabilizing riverbanks, and threatening local communities' water sources. The organization is demanding a halt to these activities and the confiscation of unauthorized machinery, highlighting the urgent need for regulatory enforcement in this ecologically sensitive area. Read on to learn more about their concerns and demands.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 26, 2026, 11:02 IST

Concerns Over Environmental Damage

The dried up Diyung River allegedly caused by rampant riverbed mining (Photo: Daniel Langthasa/ Instagram)

Haflong, Sept 26: The All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU) from the Dima Hasao district has formally approached the Chief Conservator of Forests in Haflong, urging an immediate stop to illegal and unregulated riverbed mining activities throughout the region.

In their appeal to the Forest department, the student organization highlighted that the excessive extraction of sand, gravel, stones, and boulders, especially from the Diyung, Mahur, Langting, and Jatinga rivers, is leading to significant ecological harm.

The ADSU pointed out that the operation of heavy machinery within active river channels is destabilizing riverbanks, increasing soil erosion, and threatening vital infrastructure such as NH-27 and railway lines. They also raised alarms about the destruction of aquatic ecosystems and the breeding habitats of local fish species.

Moreover, the organization claimed that indiscriminate deep mining is adversely affecting groundwater levels and disrupting gravity-fed drinking water sources in rural communities, which rely on these rivers for fishing, agriculture, and domestic water needs.

Referring to existing mining and environmental laws, the ADSU emphasized the need to regulate commercial extraction, particularly in this ecologically sensitive hill district. They have called for an immediate cease-and-desist order against illegal mining operations and the confiscation of unauthorized heavy machinery working in river channels.