Assam Floods: Threat to Biswanath-Panpur Dyke looms large

A CORRESPONDENT

BISWANATH CHARIALI: The rising water of the Brahmaputra is threatening the Biswanath-Panpur dyke in Biswanath district. The spur that had been built for the protection of the dyke is already on the brink of being washed away due to heavy erosion in the areas of Kumalia.

The dyke protects lakhs of villagers in more than hundred villages. The erosion has been taking place so rapidly during the last couple of days that there remains less than hundred metres of land to reach the edge of the dyke. The erosion has also posed threat to nearby Shingimari Primary School.

A major project named 'Protection of Biswanath-Panpur including areas of upstream Silamari and far downstream Bhumuraguri to Boragaon against erosion of the River Brahmaputra' was implemented in the southern part of the district headquarter of Biswanath district. The project involved protection works for a reach length of 6,000 metres in between Bortilla to Sholmari village and execution of earth work for strengthening of existing embankment for a length of 7,280 metres with erection of PSC porcupine at Biswanath Ghat.

Biswanath MLA Pramod Borthakur, former minister Noor Jamal Sarkar and others visited the affected areas at different times and urged the State Government to initiate necessary steps in this respect at the earliest.