For years, Meghalaya has quietly charmed travellers without the noise and spectacle that often surrounds India's more popular tourist regions.
The state's green valleys, living root bridges, cloud-wrapped cliffs and friendly villages have long drawn fewer tourists. Recently that quiet and so-called niche admiration has grown into long-overdue domestic and foreign attention.
Videos from Meghalaya trend more often online, tourists are discovering new routes, and the state has finally begun receiving the recognition many locals always felt it deserved.
Numbers also show the same.
According to the tourism data, Meghalaya's tourism sector has witnessed a robust growth with domestic tourist arrivals growing to 16 lakh in 2024 and international tourists to a little over 2 lakh. That's a whopping 700% growth.
But just as Meghalaya steps into this new spotlight, its most iconic natural treasure is turning cloudy. The Dawki stretch of the Umngot River, often described as one of Asia's clearest rivers, is losing the very clarity.
In the past few weeks, videos of its murky waters have gone viral across social media, triggering worry among travellers and fear among locals whose incomes rely entirely on tourism.
Quick Fact Check: The viral video claiming that Dawki will remain closed for the next two to three years is fake. The water may have turned murky, but the river and boat rides remain very much open.
The Viral Videos Raise Alarm
The Shillong Times reported that the river's sudden discolouration has created an "economic emergency" for hundreds of families across Dawki, Shnongpdeng and Darrang.
These are communities that built their entire livelihood around the Umngot's almost glass-like transparency. When drone shots of boats appearing to float mid-air first went viral years ago, tourists flocked in, and Meghalaya's short tourism window quickly stretched into an almost year-round season.
This year, that delicate balance has snapped.
"Business is down almost 80 per cent," Alan West Kharkongor, president of the Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum (MRTF), told The Shillong Times. "Bookings are being cancelled left and right. People come here for crystal-clear water; when it is polluted, they simply don't come."
The panic grows every time the river turns cloudy again. "Just this morning, after a few days of marginal improvement, the river clouded over once more, re-igniting panic across the entire tourism belt: Shnongpdeng, Darrang, Dawki, and the connecting circuits of Pynursla and Amlarem," he said.
The Construction Link
The viral videos have pushed many online to point fingers at ongoing construction along the Shillong-Dawki Road project. Locals claim that heavy dumping of red soil, excavation work and the cutting of hillsides are directly affecting the Umngot and its tributaries, especially near areas where a new bridge is planned.
Kharkongor further told that one tributary passing through the construction zone "called Umngot only," connects straight into the main river. He said he had sent videos from Nongjrong to authorities for verification. He also acknowledged that there could be additional sources of pollution that need examination. "That is why they have to check properly," he said, urging the government to scrutinise every possible factor.
Media outlets also reported that earlier the Meghalaya Pollution Control Board (MPSCB) imposed a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on NHIDCL for violations allegedly contributing to the pollution. Joint inspections by the MSPCB, NHIDCL engineers and contractors took place through October and November.
Locals say that the construction work has increased the amount of loose soil, and even a slight shower washes large quantities of silt directly into the river.
A tour operator from Meghalaya who has been working in the region for a decade told NDTV that "whenever there is rain, all the dust and dirt from the construction falls into the river." As a result, even tourists who arrive with plans to visit Dawki are now hesitating.
"Just this morning one of our clients was asking me if the viral videos on Instagram were true," the operator told NDTV.
"Most tourists are either skipping Dawki or, even if they go, they are not doing the boating," he adds.
How The River Built Meghalaya's Tourism
To understand why the current situation feels so devastating to locals, it helps to look at what the Umngot has meant to Meghalaya's tourism economy.
The state never enjoyed a long tourist season like Rajasthan or Goa. Traditionally, Meghalaya's tourism cycle lasted barely six months. But the Umngot changed that. Even during winters, when the monsoon greenery fades, the river remains sparkling clear and becomes the highlight of the season. Drone photographers, Instagrammers and travel vloggers amplified its fame. Homestays, cafes, campgrounds and adventure activities flourished across the villages.
Kharkongor says that October to April, once considered off-season, had transformed into a peak period. "We turned it into peak season because of this river," he said. "If the water stays dirty, we lose everything we built."
That transformation was not small. Hundreds of families rely on boating alone. Many had taken loans to build homestays or buy more boats. A single bad season can push these households into long-term debt.
Visible On The Ground
What locals are now experiencing is not just fear of future losses but the beginning of real economic damage.
Bookings are being cancelled. Some tourists are skipping Dawki entirely. Others come but refuse boat rides because the water no longer looks like the pictures they saw online.
Travel operators are spending more time clarifying and convincing than planning tours. Meanwhile, viral videos continue to spread, amplifying the perception that the river is no longer worth visiting.
"Humara bas badnami horah hai isse. River ka paani ab normal river jaisa h. Na jyada ganda na jyada saaf (This is tarnishing our [Dawki's] reputation, the river water may not be crystal clear, but it's not that bad either)"
Livelihoods Wobble
The fear across Dawki and its neighbouring villages is not exaggerated. Tourism is the only income for many. When the river loses its clarity, everything collapses: homestays, transport services, paddle boats, food stalls, campsites, trekking guides. Even local shops selling snacks and supplies lose footfall.
NDTV found that tourists now frequently ask whether the viral videos are real. In several cases, visitors have chosen to skip boating altogether, removing the region's biggest source of revenue.
The effect is especially painful because this is the season when families usually earn enough to save for the year. As Kharkongor pointed out, "people should have been earning a decent income from the crystal clear water," but instead they are facing cancellations and empty booking calendars.
The Way Forward
The state government has responded with inspections, and the MSPCB has imposed penalties. But locals say this cannot be solved with scattered interventions. They want a coordinated plan that includes monitoring construction, studying all tributaries, regulating soil dumping and ensuring that restoration begins before tourism suffers irreversible harm.
Kharkongor told The Shillong Times that only immediate, comprehensive action can stop further economic distress and protect the Umngot's reputation.
For many people, Meghalaya's rise as a tourism hotspot has been long overdue. But now, at the very moment the state is enjoying national attention, its most famous attraction is choking under pressure.
READ MORE: How Indore Murder Made Social Media Write Off Meghalaya Travel
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