New Delhi, March 3: There is finally hope for Majuli. The Jorhat-based Rain Forest Research Institute has decided to implement an anti-erosion project, based on unconventional methods, to stop the riverine island from being gobbled up by the Brahmaputra.
The scheme, jointly sponsored by the National Mission for Bamboo Applications and the Jorhat Zilla Parishad, envisages planting of different species of bamboo and grass in the affected zones of the island, as they are known to have properties that help check erosion.
The project not only promises to be effective, but is also likely to open up avenues of employment. The Rs 29.5 lakh-project will be implemented on an experimental basis for a period of three years from September.
Adviser to the National Mission for Bamboo Applications V.S. Oberoi said, ?The Brahmaputra is a mighty river and dependence on conventional methods alone to check erosion may not be enough. Let us try out these unconventional techniques to see if they are successful. If they are, they will be economically viable for the people.?
The riverine island, which was 1,323-square km in 1952, has now shrunk to about 552 square km, forcing several satras to shift to safer areas. Last year, a special delegation had apprised Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the need to initiate immediate measures to save the Vaishnavite centre.
According to plans, a stretch of over 2 km at the southern site of Chumoimari will be adopted as the model site. The plantations will cover a width of 120 metres from the bank, which will be categorised into different zones, depending on their ?vulnerability? to erosion.
Sources said the decision to introduce the system was taken after the conventional methods of piling and porcupine failed to yield results. Moreover, if this experiment is successful, it can safely be applied to other areas like Nagaon, which face the same threat.
B.K. Pandey, project investigator and scientist at the Jorhat institute, said nearly 25,000 mandays would be created for anti-erosion work at Majuli. ?The beauty of the scheme is that it will benefit a huge section of the population. This is important as only then will the people identify it as their own, unlike the conventional methods that have been tried out for so long,? said the scientist, who presented a paper on the scheme at the World Bamboo Congress.