The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) has pulled up a road project agency engaged in constructing a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded highway from Shillong to Dawki for allegedly dumping construction debris into the Umngot River, one of India’s most pristine water bodies.

Officials said the action followed complaints and viral videos showing the river’s crystal-clear waters turning murky due to dumping of waste from earthwork and excavation activities. Local residents, many dependent on tourism for their livelihood, had raised concerns about the pollution affecting the river’s ecology and its global reputation.

The incident prompted Meghalaya MLA Ricky Syngkon to take up the matter with Union Ministers for Road Transport and Environment. Dawki, where the

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