The massive erosion by river Subansiri near Dhunaguri, around 9 km from Bongalmora in Lakhimpur district, is posing threat to several villages in the area.
After entering the plains in Assam from the hilly terrains of Arunachal Pradesh, the river Subansiri river creates immense erosion, displaces hundreds of families in multiple places in Lakhimpur district.
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In the downstream near the confluence of the river Brahmaputra, river Subansiri is creating immense panic among the villagers of about 10 villages including Purani Bahgora, Adhakhona, Kaniajan, Ronganoi Chenimora, Gongrabari, Bahgora Deori Gaon, Bahgora, Bahgora Pothar, Bhalokaguri and Amora Bahgora under Bihpuria Revenue Circle of Lakhimpur district.
To protect the villages from bank erosion near the LP school at Bahgora Pothar village, the Water Resources Division (WRD) of Lakhimpur has implemented a scheme, under which the department has placed porcupines on the river bank. But the villagers said, the efforts of the WRD would “go in vain”.
Sibani Pegu, a youth from Purani Bahgora said the river was rapidly eroding its bank and soon it would breach the embankment near the LP school at Bahgora Pothar.
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He said, “They (the WRD) are spending crores of money to protect this portion with porcupines, but it will not work as far as we know. Let the river inflate once this monsoon, all these structures will disappear in the flood waters.”
Another youth, Pankaj Pagag from the same area said, “The erosion has already washed away about a hundred houses and now this protection measure, initiated by the department, will not work; we sure about it. The surging waters will wash away all these porcupines within five minutes.”
He questioned the government over spending of crores of money in such “unscientific and unviable structures”.
Pagag added that if the embankment is once swallowed by the river waters then about 10 villages would be inundated and river Subansiri would partially drain out waters to river Dikrong which would create another catastrophe in many other places in the floodplains of the river.
River Subansiri is one of the major tributaries of the Brahmaputra in the north bank.
In the entire course in Assam, the erosion by river Subansiri has been severely affecting the lives and livelihood of innumerable families.
In the upstream, at Dirpai in Dhemaji district; Chauldhuwa Ghat, Katori Chapori, and Goroimari under Kadam Revenue Circle of Lakhimpur, the river bank erosions have been displacing many families and eroded hundreds of hectares of agricultural lands.
According to sources, the actual data of the erosion, displaced families has not been recorded.
There are so many families, who experienced displacement for multiple times in just one flood season.
The stories of the landless families, caused by erosions, are very tragic and pathetic. The people of the affected areas still hope that the government would come up with novel ideas to end their hardship and mental agony.
Report filed by MONOJ GOGOI & MANUEL AIND