GUWAHATI, Aug 27 - Devastating floods and severe erosion has seriously affected management of the Assam-Bangladesh border areas in Dhubri district as personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) had to abandon a number of border outposts (BOPs), while a number of important border roads were eroded, which hampered patrolling by the border guarding men.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, highly placed sources in the BSF admitted that at a number of places, the BSF men were forced to stay in boats as the BOPs are submerged. �Though our men are carrying out patrolling along the international border by boats, it is a fact that land patrolling has been affected. Moreover, the men on the ground have to spend a considerable amount of time and energy to save themselves,� sources added.
At least 16 BOPs of the BSF in Dhubri area and around 10 in Mankachar area are submerged and the border guarding personnel had to shift either to boats or to other high ground. The river Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level for the past few days, which aggravated the problem of the BSF men. Though the flood water submerged the border roads at several places, fortunately, the new fencing has not submerged.
BSF sources revealed that more than floods, erosion has been creating havoc in the areas near the international border. The BOP of the BSF in the strategically-important Masalabari char was completely damaged by erosion in 2011 and a new BOP was constructed nearer to the international border.
But that too was submerged this year. The border road was eroded at several places, which would affect patrolling in the days to come and there is urgent need for repairing those immediately for better border management.
A portion of the main road connecting Hatsingimari and Sisumara BOP of the BSF in Mankachar was eroded last year, which affected movement of BSF troops to the international border areas. This year, the problem aggravated as water of the river Brahmaputra gushed through the breached portion of the road to inundate a number of villages, affecting at least 5,000 people, while several BOPs of the BSF were also submerged.
