A CORRESPONDENT
DIBRUGARH: Fear of the Brahmaputra’s relentless erosion continues to grip residents of Mohanaghat Tingkhong Bhanga Ali in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
Having witnessed their homes and fertile agricultural land being swallowed by the river over the years, local villagers organised a special river worship ceremony, praying for protection from further erosion.
From early morning, hundreds of men, women, senior citizens and youths gathered along the riverbank to participate in the religious observance.
The rituals were performed according to Vedic traditions, followed by a devotional Naam-Kirtan. Devotees offered traditional prayers, maah-prasad, betel leaves and areca nuts, along with other offerings, seeking the blessings of the mighty Brahmaputra.
As part of the ceremony, villagers also floated a symbolic banana-stem raft on the river, praying for the safety, peace and well-being of families affected by erosion and hoping for relief from the continuing threat.
Residents said the Brahmaputra’s persistent erosion has devastated the Mohanaghat Tingkhong Bhanga Ali area for nearly five decades. Hundreds of bighas of fertile farmland have been washed away, while numerous families have lost their homes and ancestral land, leaving many struggling to rebuild their livelihoods.
Although the Water Resources Department is currently undertaking erosion-control measures in the area, a fresh spell of severe erosion about a week ago has once again heightened fear and uncertainty among the local population.
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