Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: A 120-metre stretch of the Bonpuroi-Jamuguri embankment is failing. Rising Brahmaputra water levels and intense currents tore cracks into the barrier Tuesday night. The breach threatens to swamp parts of the Bihpuria and Gohpur constituencies. Residents are panicked. Many spent the night moving their belongings to higher ground.
Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah arrived at the site Wednesday at 2 pm to inspect the damage. He ordered the Water Resources Department to work on a war footing. The state is deploying geo-bags and porcupine structures to stop the riverbank from collapsing further. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is monitoring the project from Guwahati. He promised local residents the government will prioritize the structural integrity of the site.
The embankment is part of a 29.08 crore rupee anti-erosion project backed by the Asian Development Bank. It involves specialized geo-bags, wire-netting, and geo-fabric sheets. The structure protects western Lakhimpur and western Biswanath. Bihpuria MLA Bhupen Kumar Bora, Gohpur MLA Utpal Bora, and Ranganadi MLA Rishiraj Hazarika joined the minister during the inspection.
Flooding extends beyond the main river. Rivers flowing from Arunachal Pradesh, including the Pichola, Sesa, Dorpang, Dihiri, and Haitho, have overtopped their banks. Farmers are unable to plant paddy in villages like Ganak Doloni, Baghargaon, and Athanibari. Silt buried many of these fields. One resident noted the toll of the seasonal disasters: “Our roads are flooded every time there is overnight rain. This has been happening for the last two to three years.” Officials maintain a round-the-clock watch as the threat remains active.
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