In response to a letter regarding the severe flood and erosion crisis in Majuli and Upper Assam submitted by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil has outlined various preventive and technical measures initiated to protect the river island. Notably, on June 24, MP Gaurav Gogoi sent a letter to the Union Minister expressing deep concern that despite the Brahmaputra Board executing numerous projects in Majuli over the past 22 years, a permanent solution to the island’s erosion problem remains elusive. Highlighting the failure of GeoBag bank protection works executed at Bhakat Chapori and Kordoiguri in Lower Majuli, he had demanded a high-level review of all projects implemented over the past two decades, fixing accountability for failed works, and implementing scientifically designed permanent protection measures.
Responding to the MP’s letter, Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil stated that the Brahmaputra Board has been implementing flood and erosion management measures in Majuli in a phased manner for the past two decades, including embankment strengthening, RCC porcupine screens, boulder spurs, and GeoBag bank revetment, with Phase-V currently underway. The Minister stated that out of the 7.2 km GeoBag bank revetment executed at Bhakat Chapori under Phase-IV, approximately 3.3 km was affected by floods, while the remaining portion continues to provide protection. Similarly, following a shift in the river’s main channel, emergency measures including RCC porcupine screens were initiated on May 8 along the 1 km affected stretch at Kordoiguri. The Phase-IV works at both locations were formally handed over to the Water Resources Department, Government of Assam, on May 16 for operation and maintenance. Additionally, the Minister informed that an independent evaluation by NERIWALM, Tezpur, and IIT Guwahati has been proposed to assess the performance, benefits, causes of distress, and corrective measures for works executed under Phases I to IV, alongside a mathematical model study of the Majuli reach by CWPRS, Pune, to provide a scientific foundation for long-term protection measures.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Union Ministry’s response, MP Gaurav Gogoi stated that while he had raised the worsening erosion crisis in Majuli with the Union Minister of Jal Shakti in June, the Ministry’s response after nearly seven weeks leaves several crucial questions unanswered. He pointed out a clear inconsistency in how the damage is understood: while the Ministry attributes it to floods and a shift in the river channel, the State Government’s earlier assessment had pointed to unstable soil and repeated failures of bank revetments. Noting that these inconsistencies reveal a serious gap in coordination and communication between the agencies tasked with protecting Majuli, the MP questioned that if the agencies cannot even agree on what caused the failure, how can they agree on the right remedy.
