Boko, July 27: A massive landslide triggered by relentless rainfall for couple of days snapped road communication to Lumpi (or Langpih) area along Meghalaya-Assam border.
The landslide occurred in Langturi Hills, around 18 km from Boko, brought down large boulders and mud, completely blocking the stretch on the arterial line connecting a major part of West Khasi Hills to the plains of Assam.
The incident has severed a critical lifeline for residents of Lumpi and nearby villages such as Dronpara, Nowapara, Upper Lampi, and Harshnagar, directly affecting around 30 villages in the region.
These communities, home to Garo, Khasi, and Gorkha ethnic groups, are now stranded without access to food, healthcare, and other essential services typically routed through Boko or Guwahati.
In a particularly distressing case, a pregnant woman from Lumpi had to be manually escorted on foot through the treacherous terrain to a location where an ambulance from Boko could reach her for urgent medical care.
Before the incident, the Assam Public Works Department (PWD) had begun constructing protective guard walls along the vulnerable route to prevent such disasters. However, the persistent rains rendered the safeguards ineffective.
PWD officials, including engineer Manik Dutta, visited the site on Saturday evening.
Dutta assured that restoration work is under way and expressed hope that vehicular movement could resume within two to three days, weather permitting and depending on debris clearance.
The disruption has once again highlighted the urgent need for resilient infrastructure in disaster-prone hill regions like Lumpi, where a single road serves as a lifeline for thousands.
