Efforts to check soil erosion in Panchali continue in Dibrugarh district

Dibrugarh, Sept 27: Measures aimed at checking the high-intensity soil erosion that began in the Panchali area on Wednesday continue till the filing of this report on Thursday. The people, comprising both E and D personnel and locals, were actively involved in damage control and prevention measures till midnight and resumed their work from Thursday morning. Although a spell of early morning shower cast gloom over the prospects, the rain let up soon enough, thus allowing the rescuers to start from where they left. Many geo bags were laid out along the affected stretches, and porcupine systems were also being installed.

The incident which made the locals go helter-skelter on Wednesday has evoked varied reactions from different stakeholders. A senior citizen of that area and a former PWD contractor, Allauddin Ahmed informed that soil erosion of such a degree had taken place after many decades, the last of the kind happened in the 1960s. He also reiterated the significance of the Dibrugarh Town Protection Dyke, pointing out that if that line of defence was broken, the town would be in dire straits. He, however, quickly negated such possibilities in the near future, for the embankment had been reinforced only recently. Few E and D officials present at the spot also informed that a permanent erosion prevention project had already been sanctioned by the government for a riverside stretch of 1.6 km in Dibrugarh, the work on which would start after the monsoon season.