Assam: Minister Pijush Hazarika visits erosion-affected site in Dibrugarh

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: State Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika on Thursday visited the site of the massive erosion that occurred at Kachari Ghat in Dibrugarh. The Brahmaputra river, flowing along the edge of Dibrugarh town, has been causing severe erosion during every monsoon, creating panic among the residents.

During his visit, the minister said that it was extremely difficult to control a mighty and fast-flowing river like the Brahmaputra, and achieving 100 percent protection from erosion is never possible.

However, he mentioned that an anti-erosion project worth around Rs 300 crore was currently being implemented for Dibrugarh. He further stated that around 32,000 C-type geo-bags would be required for the protection work, and that arrangements had already been made while the department was carrying out the work on a war footing.

It may be mentioned that the recent wave of erosion near Dibrugarh city has caused sleepless nights for residents. Within minutes, the mighty Brahmaputra washed away hundreds of geo-bags and eroded about 100 meters of land, including a park, a large playground, a yoga centre, and a site used for immersion of idols. The devastating erosion occurred at Kachari Ghat, located just behind the old court building in Dibrugarh.

 The river, turning fierce, devoured nearly 100 meters of the main protective embankment. Most of the geo-bags placed by the Water Resources Department were swept away, and a large area, including a yoga camp site, caved in as if struck by an earthquake.

The erosion has now reached dangerously close to the Dibrugarh Town Protection Dyke, one of the major safeguards of the city. In recent days, several meters of land at Maijan Thakurbari on the outskirts of Dibrugarh have already been eroded by the Brahmaputra, and fresh erosion has also begun in the downstream areas. Many blame the lack of timely and adequate anti-erosion measures for the current alarming situation of the river.

Minister Hazarika assured that the government was giving utmost priority to the issue and that all necessary efforts were being taken to contain the erosion at Dibrugarh.

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