Assam: Residents of Tuniadanga Village Allege Technical Defects in Anti-Erosion Structures

KOKRAJHAR: Many questions have arisen among the villagers of Tuniadanga under Serfanguri police station in Kokrajhar district regarding the technical defectiveness of anti-erosion concrete structures. According to them it was the reason for floods in their village and adjacent areas since the past couple of days. The long portion of concrete anti-erosion bundh at Tuniadanga village was breached away causing floods in the village.

The residents told The Sentinel that the river Longa turned ferocious after the protection bundh of river Hell got breached between ride no 7 and 8 and converged at river Longa. They said the height of concrete anti-erosion bundh at Tuniadanga was too low for which the water overflowed the bundh and eroded it. They also said the protection concrete structure was completed just six months ago and now a long portion of it got breached which proves the technical defectiveness.

The CEM of BTC Pramod Boro inaugurated the foundation stone of anti-erosion concrete structure amounting to Rs. 1.17 crore at Tuniadanga village but the foundation stone has no mention of the date and year. Talking to The Sentinel, villager Janak Adhikari said that the concrete structure for protection of river Longa was taken up by the Water Resources Department in 2018-19 but the construction was done in 2023-24 financial year. He said that the anti-erosion bundh was completed only six months ago but the bundh broke, which led to floods in the area. He also said that a family in the northern side was forced to remove the house as the river has eroded the plot of lands and posed a threat to other adjoining families as well.

Another villager Gopal Adhikari said that the height of the anti-erosion bundh was too low to prevent the water from flowing over it. He said there could have been some technical defects in construction of the protection bundh and there is a possible compromise of quality of work for reasons unknown to them. He also said that the engineer of the concerned department should be held responsible for the “defective” and “compromised” structure.

The protection concrete bundh requires more heights. No iron rod is used in the structure to protect the river but only sand-gravel and cement were used as that of a canal of agricultural land. This has proved how the concerned department is cheating the public with defective and inferior quality of works. Besides, the concrete porcupines in the river bank were seen quite insufficient in two locations. These porcupines are now in a useless position. The villagers questioned whether there would be inquiry over the defective structures in the days to come.

The river Longa will take away Puleswary Ray's house at any time and has already taken away another section of the plot of land, she said, adding that the rain has continued and if the weather does not improve, the water will take away her house. She also said that the poor villagers had been passing sleepless nights as they were compelled to run away from their houses on July 7 before dawn to Ramfalbil HS School to take shelter as waist-deep flood waters submerged their village on that day. She feared that a similar situation could arise any time if the rain continued.

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