DHING, Nov 22 ? A group of correspondents of the Dhing area recently visited the eroded areas by the Brahmaputra at Moamari, under Dhing constituency, which has posed a serious threat to the entire Dhing and Batadraba areas. Barely two kilometres from Dhing town is located the central point of the worst erosion affected Moamari area spread along the south bank of the Brahmaputra from Lathiamari to Moamari.
In the first week of October this year, erosion at Moamari on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra recurred. The entire area is a cluster of about 20 villages with a population of about 15,000. The villages are Alengmari, Tinghariabasti, Teraghariabasti, Borbil Kacharibori, Rangraichapari, Majuli, Chitalmari, Boalmari, Goroimari, Ieruamukh, Bhajaikhaiti, Gotikora, Moamari, Biringabari. Gotikora, area has seen massive erosion by the Brahmaputra since 1970 and till date about 50000 people have been displaced from their ancestral homes.
Of these, 60-70 per cent of the people went to Dimapur while some others have taken shelter either on the existing dyke or the nearby highlands or in the riverine areas. This correspondent met a few erosion and flood affected persons in the Moamari and Borthal Kacharibori areas on the bank of the river Brahmaputra.
According to villagers, the prominent educational and religious institutions to be affected by the Brahmaputra?s southward erosion in the past two decades include Moamari LP School, Borbil Kacharibori LP School, Borbil Moamari LP School Dhakaibasti Subahi Madrasa, Moamari Masjid, Birinabari Madrasa, Moamari Mathkhola and the Lathiamari Subahi Madrasa.
The educational institutions have been relocated and shifted to safer places several times in the recent years. Earlier, two dykes merged with the Brahmaputra, along with the lush farmlands. Even as the governor, Lt Gen (retd) Ajay Sinha paid visit to the area last year and made it amply clear that unless the Centre comes forward and accords administrative and financial sanction there is little else the State Government can do on its own.
As a part of the initial protective measures taken by the Moirabari Development Block, of Morigaon, by which an experiment is on to see if bamboo palesiding work and cement bags can contain erosion. This effort was formally launched by Dr Idris Ali, local MLA, from the first week of October. The situation requires an all-out effort by everybody concerned.
The Government of Assam and the local MP must also prevail upon the Centre to make good the loss and initiate steps for permanent protection and repair the breached embankment at many points. Now a disaster is looming large on the inhabitants living in the north-western part of Nagaon district particularly at Dhing and Batadraba.