Unhappy Dance of Displacement

Climate Change Impact : IDP rising in Assam ..flood and erosion impacts on human life, livelihood, economy.. lakhs of families displaced ......

Climate Change Impact : IDP rising in Assam

..flood and erosion impacts on human life, livelihood, economy..lakhs of families displaced ....

DIGANTA SARMA

"We are now living in a temporary shed on the embankment after losing my home and land. The Brahmaputra River swallowed our entire village. After losing everything, many families of our village have been shifted to live under temporary sheds. Now the monsoon and flood season is approaching and we are still so worried about it. We don't know what will happen," 

 Subhash Ghosh (52) said. He, with his five-member family are now living on an embankment after the river Brahmaputra swallowed his home and lands.He was a resident of Murkata village under Mayong revenue circle of Morigaon district, Assam and one year ago the entire village was swallowed by the Brahmaputra river.

He further said that some people have already left this area and moved to other safer places.

There were about 200 families in tht village which is now no existence. Kalpana pal (47) said, 'we have lost everything and we are facing lots of problems. We don't know where we will go in future. The main source of income for the people of this area is farming but we lost our cropland in erosion. 

Besides Subhash, Kalpana and many other families of that area are facing similar situation. Where the Brahmaputra river has already eroded many villages in the area and thousands of people have became homeless.

I have lost everything. Due to erosion for the last couple of years, river swallowed everything and now we leave this place

"In last two years 10  villages in this area were washed off by the Brahmaputra River and  five school buildings were eroded due to river erosion.' One old man said.

In last six decades, over 5 lakh families have been displaced due to floods and soil erosion in Assam 

According to the Assam government data, the Brahmaputra river has wiped out nearly 4,000 sq km -- area  which is about 7.5 per cent of the total area of Assam.

"I have lost everything. Due to erosion for the last couple of years, river swallowed everything and now we leave this place," said Ajit Nath, a resident of Bhuraon area in Assam's Marigaon district, who had lost his agricultural lands and house due to river erosion.

Not only Ajit but there are a large number of families in Assam who suffer displacement and the numbers of internally displaced person (IDP) are rising in the state.

According to the Assam government, soil erosion by rivers continues in many districts of Assam.And  average, approximately 8,000 hectares is lost annually due to erosion.

Due to flood and erosion, the state has witness  the another crisis in Assam every year which is economic loss.

As per government data,  annual loss due to flood in Assam is Rs 200 crores and thousands of hectare of farmland eroded by rivers each year.

Due to climate change,  Assam facing flood and river erosion problem which impacts on human life, livelihood and the state economy.