River Gabharu erosion eats into cropland in Sonitpur, farmers left high & dry

Tezpur, Sept 10: Erosion caused by the river Gabharu has taken a serious turn in the Saraka Baligaon area under the Tumuki Gaon Panchayat in Sonitpur district over the past two years, due to which the poor farmers of the area have lost a sizeable chunk of valuable cropland.

The river Gabharu, one of the major tributaries of the Brahmaputra, was allegedly diverted to the eastern side to protect the dyke on the western side in the Kahikuchi area. Due to this short-sighted step by the water resources department, the course of the river has drastically changed towards the eastern bank of the river in the Saraka Baligaon area. Consequently, a severe erosion problem surfaced in the area from the mid-summer of 2022 and, since then, a huge area of cropland has been eroded till now.

It is also pertinent to mention that the farmers, who traditionally possess 10 to 15 bighas of agricultural (myadi patta) land each, use a variety of crop that yields a good harvest. Unfortunately, these poor farmers are gradually losing their farmland to erosion.

In view of their insecure future, the farmers have approached the local MLA and the water resources department to take necessary measures to check the ongoing problem of erosion. Sadly, despite the farmers’ repeated appeals for anti-erosion measures, neither the local MLA nor the water resources department has initiated any remedial action till date.

The frustrated farmers have now appealed for the Chief Minister’s direct intervention in this regard