Assam student group demands action against illegal riverbed mining in Dima Hasao

Threat to Rivers

Unchecked and illegal riverbed mining in Assam's Dima Hasao district is threatening severe bank erosion, endangering transport routes, and drying up drinking water sources for rural villages. The All Dimasa Students' Union raised this alarm in a formal complaint letter sent on Friday, September 25, 2026, to the district Chief Conservator of Forests.

Rivers and Damage

The complaint points out heavy commercial extraction of sand, gravel, stone, and boulders using large machines inside the Diyung, Mahur, Langting, and Jatinga rivers. This unscientific dredging is destabilizing riverbanks and speeding up soil erosion during the monsoon. These activities threaten critical infrastructure such as National Highway 27 and local railway lines, while also causing landslides near homes.

Water and Livelihoods

The student body warns that deep mining has broken the natural water table, lowering groundwater levels and drying up vital drinking water streams in rural areas. Local tribal communities who depend on these rivers for traditional fishing, farming, and daily water needs are facing major hardships. The union notes that Dima Hasao is a sensitive hill region protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, where such extraction violates the Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules of 2013, Supreme Court guidelines, and National Green Tribunal directions.

Demanded Actions

The All Dimasa Students' Union is calling for an immediate stop to all illegal mining and the seizure of unauthorized heavy machinery. They want a joint inspection team made up of forest officials, council members, civil administrators, experts, and student leaders. The group also demands strict penalties against operators without valid leases or environmental clearances, along with the creation of protected no-mining zones near bridges and erosion-prone river bends.