Devastating erosion by Subansiri breaches right embankment at Chandrapur

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: Creating a massive threat to the life and properties of the people living in more than 45 villages under Telahi Development Block of Lakhimpur district, the devastating erosion caused by river Subansiri breached its right embankment (35km) at Chandrapur under Madhy Telahi Gaon Panchayat on Monday. The river breached the embankment at around 3.23 pm by destroying the temporary measures adopted by the North Lakhimpur Division of Water Resources Department only in the nick of time in the name of protecting the same. The river has already eroded away over 30 meter stretch of the embankment causing massive threat to the rest part of the embankment of both ends near the breach. At present water of the river has inundated the nearest Teliapothar village penetrating through the unplugged portion.

The breach of the embankment has created havoc among the people living in the Telahi Development Block on witnessing the weeklong inclement weather in Lakhimpur district as well as North Assam along with neighbouring State of Arunachal Pradesh, where river Subansiri originates. It is apprehended that the raising level of the water of the river, due to present incessant rains, might inundate several villages under the Telahi Development Block in the upcoming days.

It is also apprehended that the situation might be critical if overflowing water of the catchment areas of the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project (SLHP), being constructed by NHPC Limited, rolls over the project dam. The perennial problem of river Subansiri has immensely affected several villages under Uttar Telahi, Madhya Telahi, Panigaon and Lohit Khabalu Gaon Panchayats since 9th decade of the last century. The erosion caused by the river has assumed demonic proportion at Chandrapur for last two years. In this connection several reports were published in various issues of The Sentinel in the past days. In the detailed report published in the April 4 issue of the newspaper, it was apprehended that the devastating erosion of the river Subansiri might erode away its right embankment at 35km stretch very soon and the North Lakhimpur Division of Water Resources Department is called upon to implement necessary measures to check the enormous proportion of the erosion in the affected place. At that time, the devastating erosion of the river eroded away the porcupines one after another, which were installed last year and this year as a temporary measure in order to check the erosion. The river already eroded away a large stretch of the area and caused alarming threat to the embankment and almost 30 families residing at the adversely affected Chandrapur. The river had engulfed more than hundred meter wide area from its basin towards the embankment within a period of fifteen days. Despite such circumstances, the Water Resources Division did not adopt any immediate effective measures to tackle the problem as a result of which the apprehension of the report came true on Monday.

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