Flood, erosion: Solution eludes Majuli

Brahmaputra Board Chairman T G Antony Balan has said that protecting Majuli 8212; Assam8217;s cultural heritage island 8212; from the fury of the Brahmaputra is not an easy task and detailed...

Brahmaputra Board Chairman T G Antony Balan has said that protecting Majuli 8212; Assam8217;s cultural heritage island 8212; from the fury of the Brahmaputra is not an easy task and detailed studies are required to find a permanent solution to the problems of flood and erosion.

8220;Majuli is a complex situation with the Brahmaputra posing the twin threat of flood as well as massive erosion. But whatever little that the Brahmaputra Board has been able to do in the past few years has already started showing results,8221; said Balan, whose agency has the statutory function of planning and development of water resources, including flood management in the Northeast.

He said the Board had already done 8220;some substantial work8221; at Majuli since 2003-4 and works worth Rs 30 crore were nearing completion even as the first wave of floods in the state seemed to have receded without causing much havoc.

8220;But this is not the final and permanent measure. Tackling the Brahmaputra is a Herculean task and needs a series of short-term as well as long-term initiatives to control floods as well as prevent river-bank erosion,8221; he said.

Majuli has lost over 400 sq km of its area in the last five decades with the Brahmaputra causing massive bank erosion. With 22 satra institutions Vaishnavite monasteries established in the 16th century, it is the nerve centre of Assamese music, painting, theatre and other arts and has been vying for a World Heritage Site status. But floods and erosion have displaced several hundred families and more than 20 Vaishnavite satras have been shifted to safer places.

8220;Permanent measures need a lot of studies and model tests. We are developing a physical model near Guwahati, which will help us frame certain measures crucial for putting an end to Majuli8217;s woes,8221; Balan said.

Meanwhile, the Assam Government has announced the commissioning of a fresh study to find out if the Bogibeel Bridge 8212; the fourth bridge on the Brahmaputra coming up at Dibrugarh, upstream of Majuli 8212; would have any adverse impact on the island.

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8220;There has been a lot of apprehension that the bridge would cause some serious problems for Majuli and we are asking IIT Guwahati to help us in this aspect,8221; Minister for Water Resources Bharat Chandra Narah said. There have been apprehensions that the current diverted due to the bridge would directly hit the southeastern portion of Majuli, causing the Brahmaputra to gobble up a sizeable portion of the island.

He, however, said there was no question of keeping the bridge construction work on hold. 8220;We need the bridge as much as we need to protect this wonderful heritage island of ours,8221; Narah said.