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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Land ahoy for sinking Majuli-Barnali Handique

Land ahoy for sinking Majuli-Barnali Handique

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published Published on Jul 9, 2012   modified Modified on Jul 9, 2012
-The Telegraph

Guwahati: All is not lost for Majuli, although the island on the Brahmaputra in Jorhat district has lost enough already.

Experts today said there was no danger of the island disappearing from the face of the earth completely, as new land masses were coming up.

“It is true that the Brahmaputra has eroded a substantial portion of Majuli over the years, but historically, it is equally true that soil is getting deposited in nearby areas resulting in the formation of various chaporis (sandbars). In fact, Kartik chapori is one such area that was formed as a result of soil deposition. Another significant aspect is that erosion has not been taking place in these areas,” said P.S. Murthy, an archaeologist, who has been appointed by the Centre to prepare a dossier on Majuli.

He was speaking at an international conference on Majuli here today.

The meet was organised by the Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva in collaboration with Core Professional Group — Brahmaputra, Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS) International, Assam Society of America Foundation and Majuli Cultural Landscape Management Authority.

Rampant erosion by the Brahmaputra has reduced Majuli to less than 50 per cent of its habitable land in the past few decades.

Official sources said over the last six decades, the habitable land on the island has decreased from 1,226 square km to 520.26 square km because of unabated erosion.

“It is true soil is getting deposited resulting in creation of sandbars. Bhokot chapori is one such sandbar that was formed in recent years. But the problem is the rate of erosion of large stretches of land is more than the rate of deposition of soil. In fact, many residents of Majuli who have lost their land have relocated to these sandbars,” said Pradip Hazarika, co-ordinator of the Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva.

The Centre had also recently said the total landmass of the island had increased marginally.

Based on satellite imagery, the landmass of the island was calculated at 520.26 square km in February 2011. The total area of Majuli was found to be 502.21 square km in 2004.

Thus, apparently land loss has not only stopped but the trend has reversed and the Majuli island has started gaining landmass.

“Now modern technology is available whereby the riverbed of the Brahmaputra can be dug to make it deeper, so as to prevent the river from flooding Majuli. Soil that is dug out from the riverbed can be taken out and deposited on the island,” said A. Phukan, retired professor of the civil engineering department of the University of Alaska.

Chief executive officer of the Majuli Cultural Landscape Management Authority and Upper Assam commissioner, Sayed Iftikar Hussain, said the course of the river was also very unpredictable.

“Hence, while undertaking development activities, we have to take into consideration what impact it will have on the topography and the lives of the residents in the long haul. Various departments are already working to conserve the island. But for their efforts to actually yield results, they have to work in close collaboration,” he said.

The conference stressed on highlighting the best possible ways in which the culture and landscape of the Majuli can be conserved so that it can find a place among the world heritage sites.

Various suggestions that have been put forward by experts at the conference will be compiled into a report by the organisers and then submitted to Assam governor J.B. Patnaik for consideration.

The Telegraph, 9 July, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120709/jsp/frontpage/story_15706796.jsp


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