Floods shatter NH-17 at Boko and Chaygaon, cutting Tura-Guwahati route; one drowns in Gijang River

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 31, 2025

Severe flooding in Assam and Meghalaya has wreaked havoc on road connectivity and claimed at least one life. A crucial stretch of National Highway 17 (NH-17) was washed away in Boko and Chaygaon, cutting off road communication between Tura and Guwahati for the day.

The worst-hit area was in the Shingra Reserve Forest near Boko, about 70 km from Guwahati, where floodwaters breached a newly constructed section of NH-17. Trucks and heavy vehicles were left stranded for hours, while some smaller vehicles were rerouted through Bongaigaon to reach the capital.

Local residents allege that ongoing road-widening work, including the installation of culverts, may have weakened the section that was ultimately swept away. “The culverts couldn’t handle the floodwaters,” said a villager from the Singra area.

Boko revenue circle officer Divas Bardoloi said that emergency repair work is underway and that light vehicles, ambulances, and passenger buses are being diverted through village roads.

Truck drivers, however, have been hit hard. One driver transporting plywood from West Bengal to Agartala said he was stuck in the forest area for over 16 hours, without access to food or amenities.

NH-17, which spans 477 km, is a lifeline for the Northeast, connecting West Bengal with Assam’s capital city. The road falls under the jurisdiction of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

In Chaygaon, floodwaters from the Kalahi River eroded both ends of a bridge on NH-17, further crippling transport in Kamrup district. Kamrup district commissioner Deba Kumar Mishra visited the site and assured that the under-construction road would be restored soon to resume normal traffic.

Meanwhile, tragedy struck near the Assam-Meghalaya border when a 26-year-old man, Epish N. Sangma, drowned in the Gijang River (also known as the Singra River), a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The incident occurred at Maspara village in the Rambrai-Jyngram constituency while he was fishing with his brother-in-law. According to locals, Sangma was swept away by the strong current while trying to cross the river.

Meghalaya Police, with help from villagers, recovered the body shortly after the incident. Rambrai-Jyngram MLA R.G. Momin visited the grieving family and offered condolences.

Heavy rains across Assam and Meghalaya have left several rivers in Kamrup and Goalpara districts swollen, with floodwaters damaging infrastructure and threatening more devastation in the days ahead.