A CORRESPONDENT
BISWANATH CHARIALI: The water level of the Borgang river in Biswanath district has been increasing due to incessant rains during the last couple of days, causing much inconvenience to the poor farmers of Neelbari area.
According to information, the river has started to erode the adjoining places on the bank of the river. A good number of paddy fields, small tea gardens and a part of the Borbhil Division of Borgang Tea Estate have already been gobbled up by the surging water of the river. Local people alleged that the erosion had been taking place in the area for the last five years. Same is the condition of the people of Borjarani Tengabori village. The sudden spurt of water in the hilly rivers has thrown life out of gear in these areas.
The villages under Kumalia Gaon Panchayat have also been affected due to the breach in the Biswanath-Panpur dyke. The surging water of the Brahmaputra developed a breach in the dyke recently. Agricultural products produced in those areas have been badly affected leading to price hike of vegetables in Biswanath Chariali.
A team of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), led by central assistant secretary Duldul Borkataki, visited the flood-affected areas on Thursday and took stock of the situation. The team also urged the Deputy Commissioner of Biswanath to initiate rehabilitation of the affected people.
On the other hand, two geo dykes were constructed from Gangmou Than to Borbhil Neelbari by the Department of Water Resource Department, Government of Assam, to prevent large-scale erosion of the river few years back. However, the dykes failed to protect the areas from the fury of the river, the people alleged.