Residents of Pathorichuk, a village in Majuli, have found out a new method to check riverbank erosion by planting Kanchan trees along the Brahmaputra River. This sustainable and eco-friendly approach has proven to be an effective natural shield against erosion. While traditional anti-erosion measures adopted by government agencies, like using RCC porcupines and geo-bags, have only offered temporary relief, the Pathorichuk residents feel that planting kanchan trees in a systematic manner could be long-lasting. They have pointed out that while these trees grow from branches, they gradually grow massively when planted near rivers and help control soil erosion. It is now for experts in IIT Guwahati and other institutions to step in and havethe final say on the matter. The news of the experience of the Majuli village, displayed prominently on the front page of the Sunday edition of this newspaper, comes at a time when the state government is aggressively conducting a systematic eviction drive to recover government land from suspected Bangladeshis. One can thus point out that these encroachers are also immensely responsible for riverbank erosion in Assam. There was a time when the Brahmaputra’s banks were almost entirely covered by ekora and various kinds of reeds and grass species. Their dense root systems help bind the soil, and their above-ground structure slows down water flow and traps sediment, reducing erosion. It is common knowledge that the Brahmaputra banks were once full of dense vegetation. Various kinds of reeds also provided valuable materials for the construction of Assam-type houses, particularly walls and roofs. With the arrival of thousands of land-hungry peasants from erstwhile East Bengal and East Pakistan and present-day Bangladesh heavily encroaching upon the riverbanks, this vegetation has been removed or damaged, thus making the riverbanks more vulnerable to erosion. Reeds and Ekra are commonly used in riparian buffers, which are vegetated areas along rivers and streams. These buffers act as a natural barrier to erosion and provide other ecological benefits. The stems and leaves of reeds and Ekra can also help to trap sediment carried by the water. As the water slows down, the suspended particles settle out and accumulate around the plants, further stabilising the bank. With the banks being encroached upon, increased and indiscriminate human activities like construction and settlements within the floodplains reduce the river’s capacity to handle floodwaters, and the removal of natural vegetation, which had been serving as natural protection against erosion since time immemorial, has led to increased erosion and instability. Removal of encroachers from the riverbanks, followed by intensive plantation of reeds, kanchan, and other vegetation, would definitely contribute in a big way towards a stable bank line and preventing and controlling riverbank erosion. Simultaneously, it will also make room for the Brahmaputra to hold more water during the monsoon months, apart from reducing anthropogenic disturbance to nature.