Morigaon (Assam) [India], April 29 : The villagers of Assam's Morigaon district are living in an erosion threat triggered by the Brahmaputra river.
Many of the villagers expressed their fear and requested the state government to complete the construction of the embankment by the river, which is still ongoing.
"We are living in a temporary shed near this under-construction embankment after losing my home, land. The Brahmaputra river swallowed our entire village. After losing everything, many families in our village have to live in temporary sheds," Niranjan Mandal, one of the villagers told .
"Now the monsoon and flood season is coming and there has been no relief. We are still so worried about our lives, and have no idea about what will happen," he rued.
50-year-old Niranjan Mandal and his 4-member family are now living near an embankment after the mighty Brahmaputra river swallowed his home and lands.
Niranjan is a resident of Murkata village under Mayong revenue circle in central Assam's Morigaon district, the entire town was swallowed by the Brahmaputra river 7 months ago.
He further said that some people have already left the area and moved to other safer places. "There was a school building, a water supply scheme, a Durga temple, Naamghar in our village, but the Brahmaputra river swallowed everything. Now the villagers are facing a lot of problems and are fighting for their safety," he said.
There were nearly 100 families in 1 no Murkata village which has come down to almost single digits, Niranjan said.
Another villager, Prastuti Mandal said, "We have lost everything and we are facing massive problems."
"We don't know where we will go and the monsoon season is coming. The main income source for most of the people of this area is farming. If the river erosion can be stopped then some villagers can live by doing farming. But, if the river erosion continues, the villagers will face difficulties in finding a livelihood for themselves. The embankment is now under construction, but we are still worried that will this embankment be able to protect us," she said.
Jiten Deka, a teacher at Teteliguri LP School told that, the Brahmaputra river has already swallowed many villages of the area and thousands of people have now become homeless.
"Last year, the entire village was completely eroded in the blink of an eye. The Brahmaputra River swallowed 5-6 villages in this area. At least four schools and temples were eroded due to river erosion in recent times," Jiten Deka said, adding that around 500-600 families were affected and many of them moved to other places.
According to a statement issued by the Assam government, the state has so far lost about 4.27 lakh hectares of land by the soil erosion of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries.
Ahead of the monsoon this year, the Assam Water Resources Department conducted a survey and identified 108 vulnerable locations of embankments in the state. Assam Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika also directed the department to take preventive measures within the next 15 days.
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