Siang River erosion swallows farmland in East Siang

Itanagar: The Siang River is chewing through farmland in the Mebo Sub-Division of Arunachal Pradesh. Villagers in Borguli are watching their wet rice fields disappear. Floods and erosion have already wiped out vast stretches of bamboo groves and cash crops.

Otil Tayeng, a local resident, lost eight acres of bamboo to the river. That plantation was his main paycheck. He now worries for his children. "My agricultural land is the primary source of livelihood for my family and helps me support my children's education."

The ground began slipping away in 2021. The river has grown more aggressive every year since then. The threat to homes and crops keeps rising.

Locals want action. They are calling on Mebo MLA Oken Tayeng and Chief Minister Pema Khandu to step in. They need permanent embankments and serious flood defenses built now. Time is running out for the families living on the riverbank.