Fear of flood & erosion grips residents in Lakhimpur areas

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: At a time when there are few days the rainy season of the current year to set in, the people living at Bonpuroi-Jamuguri area under Dhalpur Mouza of Lakhimpur district are suffering a lot in fear of imminent flood due to the ongoing erosion caused by mighty Brahmaputra.

The fear has gripped the people only because of non-implementation of any erosion prevention measures to control the erosion of the river till the day. At present, the river has posed a massive treat to a larger area under Bihpuriya and Gahpur Legislative Assembly constituencies under Lakhimpur and Biswanath district.

Notably, the erosion caused by the mighty Brahmaputra assumed demonic status last year. As a result of it, the stretch between No. 2 Checkbundh and No. 3 Checkbundh of the right bank embankment was engulfed by of the river.

Erosion of the river has affected the rest part of the affected stretch at present again. Moreover, several parts of the main embankment of the mighty river at Bonpuroi-Jamuguri were severely affected by erosion last year. Thus the flood and erosion caused by the river ravaged different parts of the right bank embankment under the area in the course of time.

Notably, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta and the members of a high-level inter-ministerial committee of the Union government took stock of the situation by visiting the affected sites last year. Then the Chief Minister directed the Water Resources Department to repair the affected embankment and to control the erosion by implementing immediate erosion prevention measures.

On April 2, Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur, Khageswar Pegu visited the flood and erosion affected sites of the area along with the Executive Engineer of the Water Resources Department, North Lakhimpur Division and Block Development Officer of the Narayanpur Development Block.

The Deputy Commissioner instructed the Block Development Officer of the Narayanpur Development Block to implement a scheme, preparing it with the coordination of the Water Resources engineers, to check the erosion of the mighty river.

But his instructions issued to a Block Development Officer to control the devastating erosion caused by a large river like Brahmaputra cannot convince the riverine people. In this regard, the local people have expressed vehement resentment against the State Government, Water Resources Department and the district administration.

Notably, the riverine people under Bihpuriya and Gahpur Legislative Assembly Constituencies have organized a week long Bhagawat recitation programme seeking devine intervention to check the erosion of the mighty river since April 1. The programme entered on fourth day on Sunday.

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