From our Special Correspondent

SILCHAR, June 28: Despite the embankment along the river Barak, Rongpur part-1, a cluster of villages, not far off from this town, has been threatened with a sort of natural disaster as around 250 families belonging to different communities are in the grip of flood waters and their 1600 bighas of agriculture land go under water and even face the imminent danger of being washed away. In fact, the area has been facing severe erosion for the last 30 years and the villagers have been crying for protective measures from the flood control department, now rechristened as Water Resource Department.

The menace of flood this time has been compounded by causing breach on the embankment by some miscreants having their dwelling places on the other side. According to Mannan Barbhuiya, the flood waters of Barak in all its fury have washed away a Shiv mandir, a Masjid and a school due to heavy erosions and more areas and houses are also threatened. Mangi Singh testifies to the washing away of the mandir 12 years ago. Jabbar Laskar says Arkatipur basic school went down into the river bed 25 years ago. It has to be shifted deep inside the tea estate of Arkatipur.

The fury of turbulent Barak during monsoon is recollected by the residents of the area, Ranjit Das, Buchha Singh, Khalilur Rahman who say that the river was 300 metres from their residential areas.

Now the river, known for its sloughing, has changed course, and come closer to their villages, creating panic in their minds as they are afraid of losing their hearths and homes. All that they want is the strengthening and raising of the embankments in order to protect not only their homes but also agriculture land as well as places of worship and education. In fact, severe erosion has become a serious problem across Barak Valley as reports pour in about roads, highways and villages after villages coming under the grip of flood waters.