ITANAGAR: With a strong demonstration of resilience and independence, the farmers of flood-prone wetland rice cultivation (WRC) in Kongkin Rikyu of Borguli village, part of Mebo Sub-Division of East Siang District, have joined hands to challenge the annual ravages of the Siang (Brahmaputra) River.
For the last three days, more than 60 farming households have been working day and night to build boulder bunds on the banks of the rivers to check the intense soil erosion that destroys their agricultural land in the monsoon season.
The project has been entirely self-funded, according to Kongkin Rikyu WRC Field Farmers Group President Joito Tayeng and General Secretary Tokmin Sisam. "We are constructing boulder bunds out of our own pockets and with assistance from well-wishers," they said. "There has not been any government intervention yet, but we hope that they will intervene before it is too late and our fields are gone forever.
Seasoned farmers and instructors such as Pampok Lego and Joint Tayeng have expressed similar fears, calling for the gravity of the crisis to be factored in. With the Siang River only meters away from their fields now, the danger of erosion hangs over them more precariously than before. "If nothing is done about the river's current during this monsoon, we stand to lose our land. This is a last-ditch attempt to salvage our living," stated Lego.
Youth leader Kalingbung Tayeng, who was part of the bund construction process, made a passionate plea to Chief Minister Pema Khandu for the release of emergency funds. "We urge the state government to sanction adequate funds for constructing proper flood protection structures along the left bank of Siang River, especially in the Kongkin area, to save our WRC fields," he stated.
The continued voluntary effort is concentrated on two key erosion sites along the junction of the Tatsing and Siang rivers, south of New Borguli village. They have been particularly exposed in recent years, withstanding the brunt of changing river currents and seasonal floods.
The area has experienced intense flood erosion in the past 25 years, especially since the "Chinese flood" in 2000, which made the Siang River change course from the right to the left bank.
This movement led to the loss of hundreds of hectares of fertile agricultural farms and important infrastructure, such as roads, electric poles, schools, and health centers. Over the past 8 to 10 years, things have only gotten worse, leading to fresh demands for all-around flood protection.
The people of Borguli and the larger Monggu Banggo region, coming under the 39th Assembly Constituency, are now requesting the government to build a permanent road-cum-flood control bund along the left bank of the Siang from Sigar to Mer village—a distance of about 20 to 30 kilometers.
"Only a permanent and comprehensive flood control solution can ensure the survival of our agricultural heritage and protect the lifelines of our region," the farmers' group asserted.
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