The Times of India
Guwahati
Majuli may be wiped out
TNN | Jul 20, 2012, 06.48AM IST
GUWAHATI: As the state government awaits the Centre to declare the
flood and erosion a national problem, the worst fear for Majuli island,
which is shrinking in area due to erosion, seem to be coming true. The
river island may be completely wiped out of the map in the future.
Government records show that 1.7 lakh bigha land of Majuli have been
eroded till 2012. In 1990, the island encompassed an area of over seven
lakh bigha. The island's present area is 5,31,733 lakh bigha.
The records show that a total of 67 villages of the island no longer
exist today as they have been wiped out by erosion. The people, who are
rendered homeless and landless, live on embankments. At present, 2,709
families are living on the embankments that dot the island. There are
1,000 children and 7,158 women among these embankment dwellers.
In the first wave of flood that hit the state from April to June this
year, 83 families in Majuli were rendered homeless by erosion. The area
of land lost is yet to be ascertained.
Erosion, which is now
seen as more devastating than floods, has eaten up over 86,000 bigha of
land in Morigaon district since 1990, which is the worst
erosion-affected district followed by Dhubri, which has lost 80,505
bigha of land since 1990. In the current year, Morigaon district has
already lost 1,758 bigha of land to erosion, which has made a population
of 3,010 homeless.
The state government on Wednesday adopted a
resolution in the house seeking a financial package from the Centre to
develop the state in all spheres and urged the Centre to declare flood
and erosion as national problems.
Guwahati
Majuli may be wiped out
TNN | Jul 20, 2012, 06.48AM IST
GUWAHATI: As the state government awaits the Centre to declare the flood and erosion a national problem, the worst fear for Majuli island, which is shrinking in area due to erosion, seem to be coming true. The river island may be completely wiped out of the map in the future. Government records show that 1.7 lakh bigha land of Majuli have been eroded till 2012. In 1990, the island encompassed an area of over seven lakh bigha. The island's present area is 5,31,733 lakh bigha.
The records show that a total of 67 villages of the island no longer exist today as they have been wiped out by erosion. The people, who are rendered homeless and landless, live on embankments. At present, 2,709 families are living on the embankments that dot the island. There are 1,000 children and 7,158 women among these embankment dwellers.
In the first wave of flood that hit the state from April to June this year, 83 families in Majuli were rendered homeless by erosion. The area of land lost is yet to be ascertained.
Erosion, which is now seen as more devastating than floods, has eaten up over 86,000 bigha of land in Morigaon district since 1990, which is the worst erosion-affected district followed by Dhubri, which has lost 80,505 bigha of land since 1990. In the current year, Morigaon district has already lost 1,758 bigha of land to erosion, which has made a population of 3,010 homeless.
The state government on Wednesday adopted a resolution in the house seeking a financial package from the Centre to develop the state in all spheres and urged the Centre to declare flood and erosion as national problems.
