GUWAHATI, JUNE 15: Majuli, the world's largest fresh-water island located in the heart of the Brahmaputra in Upper Assam, has been once again threatened by the rising water-level of the river, as also by increasing erosion during the past few days.Sources in the sub-divisional administration in Majuli told The Indian Express over telephoneon Wednesday that about 50 villages of the island have been already submerged by the rising water-level, forcing the villagers to take shelter on the enbankments.Cattleheads and other domestic animals have been washed away. The loss of human lives has been officially put at four.The Brahmaputra has, in the meantime, caused breaches on the newly-constructed Juroni-Sonowal Lahotisinga enbankment, threatening more villages in the eastern region of the 420-sq km river island during the last three days, officials said.Number of people affected by the surging waters has been officially put at 25,000. Large tracts of standing crops, particularly paddy, have been inundated.The water level of the Brahmaputra at Neamatighat from where ferries and boats link Majuli with the district headquarter town of Jorhat, has risen by more than 1.5 metres since Monday. This has been attributed to the flash floods in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, which is upstream of Majuli on the Brahmaputra.Several roads, which also serve as enbankments preventing inflow of flood waters in the island have been also breached, causing a more serious situation in Majuli.Majuli, it may be recalled, houses some of the most precious treasures of Assamese culture in the 20-odd Vaishnavite satras, and it was only last month that Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had pleaded with UNESCO to grant World Heritage Site status to the river island.
