Inter-state forum seeks Centre's intervention to stop erosion

An inter-state people's forum has sought the Centre's intervention to stop large-scale erosion by the Pakke river, which had caused huge loss of property and crops last year, at Seijosa in Arunachal Pradesh that border's Assam's Biswanath district.
The Inter-State Brahmaputra Tributaries Basin Affected People's Forum, a joint committee from Seijosa in East Kameng district in Arunachal and Itakhola in Biswanath district of Assam, submitted a memorandum to Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on January 16 here seeking the Centre's intervention.
The Forum has sought sanction of flood embankment and river canalisation projects as immediate steps to halt the havoc caused by the river.

Assam Irrigation Minister Ranjit Dutta and Sootea MLA Padma Hazarika along with Seijosa MLA Kameng Dolo and Brahmaputra Board Chairman had inspected the erosion in the area this week.
Dutta had urged Rijiju that the upstream Dekorai Irrigation Project headwork in Assam on Pakke needs immediate construction of an embankment to safeguard people living in areas downstream of the river.
The Pakke in Arunachal Pradesh is known as the Bor Dekortai river in Assam. This river has varied water flow of three cubic metre per second (cumec) in the lean season to as high as 300 cumec during monsoon, the Forum's officials said.

Climate change combined with rise in population on its bank and catchment area has resulted in incidents of flooding and erosion, the sources said.

The situation is further aggravated due to the
presence of an irrigation project barrage in Assam on the immediate downstream of the Assam-Arunachal border, Hemo claimed.
The presence of this barrage obstructs the smooth flow of debris during floods and it results in backwater swelling at the upstream of the barrage, he said.
Any breach would change the course of the river towardsthe left bank and Balijuri, Itakhola, Sootea, Jamugurihat
areas of Assam including railway lines, National Highway 15 and Pakke-Seijosa-Itakhola NEC road would be badly affected, Hemo claimed.

To mitigate the situation there is a need to construct a three km guide wall on the immediate upstream left bank of the barrage to prevent floodwater breach along the low lying natural bank, he said.
River training and canalisation for three km at the upstream of the barrage will prevent meandering and braiding of the river, Hemo added.