Gone in the Assam Floods: 8,000 Hectares of Fertile Land Every Year

NDTV: Dibrugarh: Tuesday, 15 September 2015.

As the waters recede from parts of flood-hit Assam, the possibility of a return to their villages does not exist for some people. The very land on which their homes, villages and fields stood has been washed away. Every year, Assam loses about 8,000 hectares of land to erosion.

In the past 65 years, a massive 4.27 lakh hectares have been lost, the Assam government estimates. In this loss of land, 2,500 habitations or clusters of houses, have simply disappeared with the land beneath them. And this erosion along the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra continues with little respite.

At Bogoria Tolia village in Upper Assam's Dibrugarh District, seven families have lost everything they owned - their land, standing crop and their homes.

Vishnu Gwala's life changed in less than 60 minutes. "Everything got washed away in the water. My home, the trees I had planted and my cattle," said Mr Gwala, 53, as he fought back tears.

Akshay Majhi, a daily wage laborer, showed his floods ravaged fields. "What can I do now? My agricultural land is going bit by bit and I can't even do anything," Mr Majhi told NDTV.

For those who have lost everything, there seems to be little assistance that could have a long-term impact and truly address the erosion issue. The Assam government, in response to an RTI query, says it has spent Rs. 11,000 crore on flood relief and rehabilitation of victims between 2005 and 2011.

But questions have been raised over how this money has been used. Union sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is from Dibrugarh, says the Tarun Gogoi government should explain how it has used these of funds. "The people of Assam have right to know," said Mr Sonowal.

The ruling Congress has responded, accusing the BJP of politicising the floods. "It is a political allegation. The funds are audited and if any clarification is required, the state government is ready to provide them," said Pawan Singh Ghatowar, a minister in the UPA government who was in charge of the development of the Northeast.