Friday 31 August 2012
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Xatra artiste dies in penury :
Jorhat, Aug. 6: An artiste of Xattriya culture and Majuli’s first violinist, Khagen Mukhtiar, died of cancer at his home in Bali chapori here today. He was 72.
The former mukhtiar of Adi Elengi Xatra is survived by his wife and six sons.
Friday 3 August 2012
Plea to make Majuli dossier error-free :
Jorhat, Aug. 2: Several organisations of Majuli and xatradhikars of well-known xatras
submitted memoranda to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab
Mukherjee, chief minister Tarun Gogoi and governor J.B Patnaik through
the Majuli SDO (civil) today.
Thursday 2 August 2012
After deluge, Majuli faced with receding landmass :
Jorhat (Aug 1): After the deluge,
Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island and hub of
Vaishnavite culture, is now plagued by severe erosion. After the
Brahmaputra waters receded, erosion has taken a serious turn in recent
weeks, with the river gobbling up vast tracts of the island’s
already-receding landmass.
More than 500 families have already been rendered homeless in the
recent floods in Salmora area of the island. Massive siltation after the
flood has forced people of the area to shift their homes to other
locations. Residents of the area have already turned down the
government’s proposal to rehabilitate them at the chaporis of the island.
Floodwaters also entered the island through the breached section of
the embankment at Sonowal Kachari in Upper Majuli, inundating several
villages and threatening the existence of the island. Several areas of
west Majuli were also inundated in the floods. With the residents yet to
recover from the damage of the floods, they are now facing a fresh
threat from severe erosion at the island. The Brahmaputra is flowing
just 30 metres from the Bengena-ati Satra, one of the oldest in Majuli,
threatening its very existence.
According to local residents, severe erosion had been witnessed
during the recent weeks at Bamungaon, threatening Auniati and Natun
Kamalabari Satra too. Erosion has also been reported at Salmora,
Besamora, Puhordia, Palasani, Pokimari, Bhakat Chapori and Dakhinpat.
Majuli sub-divisional officer (civil) Sonaram Khanikar told Seven Sisters Post that
he had already informed his higher authorities about the erosion.
“Although the total area affected by erosion has not been ascertained,
about 300 families have been affected by the recent erosion. The
administration has already rehabilitated 56 families at Sakala Chapori
in Dakhin Ahatguri,” he said. He said that erosion had posed a greater
threat than the floods. “I have requested the Brahmaputra Board to start
work at the affected areas immediately. The situation may be brought
under control, if immediate measures are undertaken,” he said.
On the other hand, measures undertaken to protect Majuli from flood
and erosion by the Brahmaputra Board in Halmora and Besamora areas have
now affected the downstream areas of Mouchapori and Nimatighat. Due to
the protection measures undertaken in these areas, the Sumoimari stream
passing through Majuli has been blocked due to silt deposits. This led
to the flow of excess water through the main stream of the Brahmaputra.
Officials of the water resources department said that Sumoimari
stream carried more than one-third of the Brahmaputra waters. “Due to
excess flow of water through the main stream of the Brahmaputra passing
by Nimatighat, the stream has become deeper, bringing threat to
Mouchapori and Nimatighat areas,” officials said.
Although the water resources department has prepared a detailed
project report to protect Nimatighat and Mouchapori areas, delay in
sanction of the protection works has led to severe erosion in these
areas.
(News from Seven Sisters Post)
-Abakash Majuli
Brahmaputra perilously close to Majuli village - Island sends erosion SOS :
WASIM RAHMAN
 |
| A damaged house. Picture by UB Photos |
Jorhat, July 31:
The Majuli administration has sent out SOS calls to Dispur and the
Brahmaputra Board as massive erosion is threatening several villages
under different gaon panchayats on the island.
Sources in the Majuli sub-divisional
administration said Puhardia village under Kamalabari gaon panchayat was
the worst hit. The Brahmaputra, which was 500 metres away from the
village a few months ago, is now only about 200 metres away.
Majuli’s recent floods have augmented the
erosion because the rising water level softened the riverbank. Other
villages like Palasani, Pokimari, Sumai-mari, Bhakat Chapori and Sunia
Chapori under Kamalabari and Dakhin Kamalabari gaon panchayats have also
been severely affected, the sources said.
Erosion is also threatening the Bengenati and Auniati xatras, two of the oldest xatras
on the island. People of the affected areas are urging the
administration to take emergency steps to save their land and property.
Majuli sub-divisional officer (Civil) S.R. Khanikar told The Telegraph
that after visiting the affected areas, he has sent urgent messages to
the Brahmaputra Board and Dispur through the Jorhat district
administration. Khanikar said about 40 families of Puhurdia villages
have been badly affected.
The SDO said he has urged the Brahmaputra Board officials to immediately start work in the affected areas.
He said he has asked the board to lay
porcupine dampers on the riverbank in the affected areas and if work
begins immediately, the situation may be brought under control.
Khanikar said there was no need to
evacuate people from Puhardia as of now, but if the erosion continues
unabated, then such a step might have to be taken. Finding an
alternative site to shift the villagers would be a Herculean task
because land is scarce here, he added.
Erosion has left 2,097 families homeless.
These families have been living in makeshift camps on the banks for the
past 15 years, awaiting rehabilitation.
In the latest bout of floods, about 500
families lost their houses in the Salmora area of Majuli. Governor J.B.
Patnaik, during his visit to the island, had asked the administration to
relocate the families inside or outside the island. He had suggested
setting up 10 villages and rehabilitating 50 families in each village.
However, the administration has not been able to find land to relocate the families. Proposals to shift people to chaporis (sandbars) around the island are not accepted by the people, as chaporis are known to sink within a short interval of time.
(News from The Telegraph, Wednesday , August 1 , 2012 )
-Abakash Majuli
Neematighat awaits saviour :
SMITA BHATTACHARYYA
 |
| A boat at Neematighat |
Jorhat, July 31: The water
resources department here has prepared a proposal worth Rs 67 crore to
check the heavy erosion by the Brahmaputra at Neematighat on the
outskirts of Jorhat.
The proposal will be sent shortly to the Central Water Commission, New Delhi, for sanction.
“Investigations said erosion was particularly heavy near the ghat, making it difficult for the Majuli ferries to dock,” Robin Chandra Bora, executive engineer, water resources department, said.
The heavy erosion is because of the Brahmaputra hitting the bank at almost a 90-degree angle from the Besamora side.
“In the last couple of days, the erosion
has been less in the Neematighat area, but prior to that it was quite
heavy and ferries had to shift from one part to the other in order to
dock. However, the embankment protecting the town has not been eroded,”
Bora said.
Sources said the Brahmaputra, which had
earlier been flowing 200 metres away from the embankment, was now only
about 50 metres away, and if the embankment came under threat, Jorhat
town would be flooded.
“The Brahmaputra Board has given its
observations on a few technical issues and these are being incorporated
before sending it to the Central Water Commission for sanction,” he
said.
The proposal envisages a porcupine screen
downstream to divert the flow of the river and boulder pitching along
the bank, to prevent erosion.
The Neemati-Hatihal anti-erosion project in the area was completed four years ago at a cost of Rs 38 crore, but the bund now faces the threat of erosion.
Started in 1996, it comprises two
bullheads (pointed extensions of the spur) and three spurs, spread over a
13km stretch on the riverbank.http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6808711883118829693#editor/target=post;postID=1671445565893625111
A source in the department had earlier
said a piecemeal approach instead of an all-encompassing central plan
had resulted in the problem being diverted from one area to another.
The source also said there had been a
substantial increase of water pressure in the Brahmaputra channel
flowing by Neematighat, because of an increase in the volume of water in
the channel.
This was because of the anti-erosion
measures, which had been executed on the bank opposite Neematighat, on
the southern side of Majuli, in the past few years.
(News from The Telegraph, Wednesday , August 1 , 2012 )
-Abakash Majuli
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)