MLA Prashant Phukan inaugurates Rs 75-crore save Dibrugarh scheme

DIBRUGARH: Dibrugarh MLA Prashant Phukan inaugurated a Rs 75 crore scheme to protect the Dibrugarh town from erosion at Mohanaghat, Dibrugarh, on Sunday.

The scheme is meant to protect a total of 7 km of erosion sites along the city with NABARD Infrastructure Development Assistance (NIDA).

Two spurs worth Rs 24 crore and Rs 27 crore, respectively, will be constructed along with Geo bags worth Rs 16 crore and Rs 9 crore.

Speaking to reporters, Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan said, “We know that the Mohanaghat area has been facing erosion problems for the last couple of years. Today, the work to prevent the erosion has been started near the No. 8 spar. After the completion of the work, the threat perception from the erosion will be lessened.”.

“As per IIT-Guwahati’s advice, we have taken measures to prevent the erosion. Three categories of geo-bags and porcupines will be used to prevent the massive erosion. IIT-Guwahati has done the survey and suggested the method, and we are following them,” Phukan said.

The erosion has been hitting Dibrugarh town due to changes in the course of the Brahmaputra in the upper stream. Earlier, the river current used to hit Dibrugarh’s Rohmoria area, but now it directly hits the town area, causing erosion.

In 2020, due to massive erosion, a total of six houses were washed away in the Mohanaghat area. On the other hand, another project is being worked on in parallel to prevent erosion with Asian Development Bank funding.

The great earthquake of August 15, 1950, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, altered the course of the Brahmaputra and lifted the bed level of the river in Dibrugarh by several metres. As a result, the Brahmaputra bed now lies several feet higher than the ground level of Dibrugarh town. Most of the time, the Brahmaputra flows much higher than ground level.