Guwahati: Guwahati’s already fragile ecological balance is facing a major new rupture. A massive ring road project, projected as a solution to traffic congestion and urban expansion, is set to cut through wetlands, forested hills and wildlife habitats along the eastern and southern edges of the city—areas that quietly protect Guwahati from floods, heat and human–animal conflict.
At the heart of the controversy is the 121-km Guwahati Ring Road, a Rs 5,729–5,730 crore project awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to Ahmedabad-based Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt. Ltd under the Build–Operate–Toll (BOT) model. While the project promises faster connectivity and a northern bypass, environmental assessments and ground-level realities suggest the cost may be borne not just by forests and wildlife, but by city residents themselves.
What the project entails
The ring road is being developed in three major phases. It includes a 56-km, four-lane, access-controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass, a 7.76–8 km widening of NH-27 from four lanes to six lanes between Khanapara and Sonapur, and the upgradation of an existing 58-km bypass along NH-27. A key component is a nearly 3-km-long six-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra, connecting Kuruwa with eastern Guwahati, along with a new greenfield road from Baihata Chariali towards Kuruwa.
The route spans Baihata Chariali, Kamalpur, Karara, Mandakata, Chandrapur and Sonapur, effectively skirting the main city. Officials argue that this will decongest Guwahati and facilitate regional transport. However, alignment details show that the project cuts directly through ecologically sensitive zones linked to the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary on the eastern and southern flanks of Guwahati.
Wetlands in the line of fire
Two major wetlands—Khamrenga Beel and Borbila Beel—are likely to be directly affected by the project.
Khamrenga Beel, located in Thakurkuchi village of Chandrapur near Guwahati, is a freshwater wetland forming part of the larger Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary landscape. Known as an important bird area, it supports rich biodiversity despite its proximity to urban sprawl. Surveys by conservation organisations such as Aaranyak have recorded up to 46 bird species in a single day here. The wetland shelters critically endangered species including the White-backed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture and Spot-billed Pelican, along with the Lesser and Greater Adjutant storks and the rare Baer’s Pochard.
Borbila Beel, spread across nearly 929 hectares in Chandrapur Circle, is another ecologically critical freshwater wetland. Studies have documented at least 34 species of aquatic macrophytes here, underlining its role as a micro-habitat supporting aquatic life, birds and amphibians, while also functioning as a natural flood buffer.
“If the ring road passes through Borbila and Khamrenga wetlands, it will threaten both migratory and water birds. Conservation of these wetlands is of utmost importance. If they are affected, it will cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem. Destroying wetlands is a far more serious offence than felling trees,” said Karuna Sharma, conservation activist.
Forest diversion inside Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary
Beyond wetlands, the most serious ecological impact lies inside the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary itself. Official forest records show that a total of 7.12 hectares of forest land inside Amchang has been identified for diversion for the ring road project.
Forest officials have confirmed that 2,224 trees inside Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary alone will be felled, forming part of the estimated 4,500 trees to be removed across the project. Of these, at least 2,000 trees fall within the Khanapara–Sonapur stretch where NH-27 is being widened to six lanes.
Amchang functions as a crucial green buffer for Guwahati—absorbing rainwater runoff, stabilising hill slopes, moderating urban temperatures and providing habitat connectivity for wildlife. Environmentalists warn that the cumulative impact of forest diversion, tree felling and hill cutting could irreversibly weaken this buffer.
Hill cutting and the flood question
To accommodate the six-lane highway, hills in the Amchang range will be cut at multiple locations. Experts caution that such interventions could block or redirect natural drainage channels flowing from the eastern hills into the Brahmaputra basin.
Guwahati already suffers chronic flooding due to encroached wetlands and disrupted drainage. Any further interference in the hill–wetland system, they argue, could amplify flood intensity in low-lying neighbourhoods.
Noted writer and senior advocate Kishor Kalita warned that Amchang and the remaining pristine areas on the eastern and southern sides of Guwahati could meet the same fate as Deepor Beel, which deteriorated sharply after a railway line cut through it. “This is a direct assault on the remaining urban environment of Guwahati. Cutting the hills will aggravate the city’s flood problem,” Kalita said.
Wildlife corridors and rising conflict
Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary is also a critical elephant habitat and movement corridor. Habitat fragmentation in recent years has already pushed elephants into fringe and urban areas such as Satgaon, Jorabat, Narengi and Six Mile.
A 2019–2021 study, published in 2025 in the Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution, found that elephants accounted for over 71 percent of recorded human–wildlife conflicts in five fringe villages around Amchang, mainly due to food and water shortages. While most cases involved property damage rather than fatalities, the findings point to growing stress on shrinking habitats.
Guwahati has witnessed repeated elephant incursions in recent years. In April 2019, a tusker travelled nearly 25 km from Amchang to GS Road, bringing traffic to a standstill for hours before being tranquilised and returned after an 18-hour operation.
In March 2015, a female elephant was electrocuted in the Narengi Army cantonment after straying near power lines. In February 2023, an Indian Army personnel was trampled to death by a wild elephant that had strayed from Amchang into the Narengi cantonment area.
As recently as August 2025, an injured male elephant roamed the Amchang–Jorabat–Satgaon belt for days, attacking vehicles and highlighting the risks to both residents and wildlife.
Wildlife experts warn that a proposed high-speed, access-controlled highway through this corridor could further disrupt elephant movement, increasing the likelihood of accidents and human–elephant conflict
Actor and conservation activist Arghadeep Baruah drew parallels with other infrastructure failures. Referring to the recent electrocution of an endangered male gibbon along a railway line cutting through Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, he said such incidents expose glaring gaps in wildlife safeguards.
“The approval of the ring road project compounds this loss. The proposed route slices through two vital wetlands—micro-habitats teeming with life, yet routinely overlooked. Approving construction without comprehensive biodiversity assessments risks erasing unknown ecological treasures forever,” Baruah said, also questioning the lack of meaningful public consultation.
Displacement and alternatives ignored
Environmental journalist and wildlife activist Mubina Akhtar described the project as an environmental crime. “How can the government build a road through Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary when so many environmental laws are in place? When viable alternatives exist, why choose a wildlife sanctuary? ” Akhtar said.
“The road could be widened and connected at Jagiroad or Najirakhat, saving trees and wildlife. Instead, the government is destroying two major protected areas, which will have devastating impacts on birds, mammals, amphibians and forest ecosystems,” she said.
Kalita also flagged the social cost of the project, warning that continued infrastructure expansion would eventually displace indigenous and tribal communities living in the remaining pristine zones. “With urbanisation and industrialisation, tribal people were the first to be displaced. After the ring road, those still living in these areas will eventually vanish as large construction and real estate follow,” he said.
A narrowing window
Despite mounting concerns, bids have already been invited for tree felling inside Amchang, signalling that large-scale forest clearance could begin soon. With 7.12 hectares of protected forest slated for diversion and more than 2,200 trees inside a wildlife sanctuary marked for removal, conservationists warn that the damage may soon become irreversible.