Ceaseless erosion by the River Brahmaputra since past one week has washed away atleast eight houses in Nagaghuli and Maijan area in the outskirts of Dibrugarh town. According to locals the river also eroded over 150 metres of land since erosion began.
It may be mentioned that around 500 odd families resides along the Brahmaputra between the stretch from Nagaghuli to Mothola. And among those 64 families in areas like Nagaghuli, Kachari line, Maijan, Greenwood tea estate, Philobari and Mothola resides within a few metres from the Brahmaputra.
Dinesh Munda, a daily wage earner from Kachari line who lost his home to the recent erosion said that his family has been forced to live in a makeshift hut at the top of the embankment of the Brahmaputra. Around fifteen families have so far shifted to the embankment along with their belongings.
“My family of four have been living in the embankment after my house was washed away by the river. I have also lost 4 bighas of land to the erosion. Some officials of the district administration came and gave me just one piece of tarpaulin sheet which I’m using as a roof cover of my makeshift hut. They didn’t provide me food grain or other relief materials,” Munda said.
Locals said that officials of the water resources department arrived with around three dozens of geo-fibre bags which they laid along the Brahmaputra river bank to check the erosion. However the temporary measure has failed to stem the erosion.
“The affected areas falls under Maijan gaon panchyat under Lahowal assembly constituency. Despite several requests the local MLA Binod Hazarika has not bother to visit the erosion affected areas. Four wards of Maijan gaon panchayat namely wards 1, 2, 3 and 5 are under the severe grip of erosion. All the affected people are poor farmers and daily wage earners who have lost huge chunk of agricultural land. Already in the past one week, eight families have lost their homes. We demand safety and security of the people who are living in the erosion affected area,” a local said.
