Dhubri: Brahmaputra erosion is swallowing homes, farmland and livelihoods, leaving lakhs across lower Assam in a deepening humanitarian crisis.Thousands of hectares of cultivable land have been lost in Dhubri and Goalpara districts over the years as erosion continues to devastate communities.Among the worst-hit areas are Balarbhita, Chunari, Tulsibari, Jaleswar, Medertari, Jamadarhat, Fakirganj, Matifata, South Salmara, Patakata, Hazirhat and Sukhchar, where the river has consumed homes, markets, mosques and schools.Sukhchar resident Kamal Uddin Sheikh said the area housed Asia’s largest jute trading centre until the 1970s. Its warehouses have since been washed away, leaving the settlement increasingly vulnerable.Anti-erosion activist Jamir Uddin Sheikh, affiliated with SUCI, sought urgent, permanent measures in Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar districts.“Thousands of families have lost their homes, farmland and livelihoods due to the continuous erosion caused by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, while govt efforts have remained inadequate,” Sheikh said.Activist Lokmanya Hussain of Jaleswar urged state and central govts to adopt scientific, long-term erosion-control measures instead of temporary repairs.“We demand immediate construction of permanent anti-erosion structures in vulnerable areas, adequate compensation and rehabilitation for erosion-affected families, protection of agricultural land and public infrastructure, and a comprehensive flood and erosion management policy for the two districts,” Hussain said.He warned that protests would intensify, describing the erosion as a humanitarian crisis that has displaced lakhs over the years.
Thousands of hectares of cultivable land have been lost in Dhubri and Goalpara districts over the years
Thousands of hectares of cultivable land have been lost in Dhubri and Goalpara districts over the years
Thousands of hectares of cultivable land have been lost in Dhubri and Goalpara districts over the years
