Burhidehing threatens lives & livelihood in two Dibrugarh villages, swallows farmland

Time of India

3 days ago

Dibrugarh: Massive erosion by the Burhidehing river has wreaked havoc over the past one month, swallowing vast stretches of farmland and inching dangerously close to residential areas in Panimiri and Jhanjimukh villages at Khowang in Dibrugarh district.
The relentless erosion, spanning approximately 3 km along the riverbank, has left the Mising community villagers in distress as their livelihoods and homes face an existential threat.
For generations, the Mising people have lived along the banks of the Burhidehing, relying on farming as their primary source of income. However, the river's unchecked erosion has now consumed large portions of fertile land, pushing families to the brink of displacement.
"We have lost nearly 20 bighas of farmland in just a month. The river is now barely 70-80 metres from our homes. If no action is taken, our entire village could vanish," said Raju Mili, a distressed farmer from Panimiri village.
Residents claim that despite repeated pleas, neither the district administration nor the water resources department has taken concrete steps to mitigate the crisis. Temporary measures have proven futile against the river's aggressive currents.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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"We have been living here for generations, but now the river is coming closer to our homes every day. First it took our best agricultural land, and now we fear for our houses. Where will we go if the govt doesn't help us?" said Lakhimi Payeng, a mother of three from Panimiri village.
Banikanta Doley, a village elder from Jhanjimukh, described the mounting anxiety among residents. "Our forefathers settled here because the soil was fertile and the river provided for us.
Now that same river is destroying everything we have built. We cannot sleep peacefully knowing our homes might be next."
The Mising community, one of Assam's major indigenous tribal groups, has traditionally thrived along riverbanks, developing agricultural practices adapted to the flood plains. However, changing river patterns and increased erosion have made their riverside existence increasingly precarious.