Dozens of households have been forced to relocate in just two weeks due to severe erosion along the Brahmaputra River in the Kushbari Airkata gramme panchayat of Assam’s recently created Birsing Jarua constituency, highlighting serious shortcomings in disaster management and riverbank care. At least seven or eight houses have been washed away in Wahab Bazar, according to locals, causing residents to flee their homes and take cover by the side of the road. The rapid incursion of the river left many with little time to respond, even though the community made steps to relocate possessions and salvage property.
There is still a lot of concern about more erosion. Fearing the next collapse, families have been spending the night outside in places like Kushbari Namasala. In one of the most vulnerable riverbank areas in the state, the continuous problem emphasises the critical need for long-term, efficient erosion management measures. Locals have made direct appeals for prompt action from Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. To avert more destruction, they are calling for extensive erosion prevention measures.
Meanwhile, political leader Wazed Ali Chowdhury and recently elected MP Rakibul Hussain are facing mounting criticism. Locals accuse them of disseminating polarising false information and making unmet promises throughout their election campaigns. Communities already struggling with loss and dislocation are feeling even more anxious as a result of accusations of fearmongering.