Tale of flood and erosion-hit Rohmoria

DIBRUGARH, July 11: Fake promises and failed initiatives have marked the constant search for finding out a solution to the problem of erosion at Rohmoria. Rohmoria is around 25 kilometres to the north east of Dibrugarh and falls under Chabua revenue circle in Dibrugarh district. The area was synonymous to abundance in terms of agricultural produce at certain times. Since the 1950s and more so from the 70s, it has come to be associated more with erosion.

The river Brahmaputra, which was the lifeline for the people of Rohmoria, is now feared more than revered. The change came after the 1950 earthquake that changed the geography of the area including Dibrugarh. The river waters began to eat into the land of the people living on its banks. The erosion became alarmingly rapid in the 1970s and in the following years, more than 35 villages went underwater. A muga rearing farm spreading over around 30 bighas of land, around 100 bighas of land with several small tea gardens and a factory of the Assam Tea Company were lost to the river water.

Education in the area suffered a setback because several primary and middle English schools were also washed away. The historically significant Tamuli Ali, 21 beels and huge tracts of forest area also disappeared. The Mayamora Xatra had to be shifted twice in order to save it from meeting the same fate suffered by several naamghars in the area. Meanwhile, the erosion in Rohmoria gained wider ramifications with threat being posed to Dibrugarh town as well as the Mohanbari Airport.

The local people of Rohmoria organized themselves to form the Rohmoria Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum (RERSF) in 1997 after repeated appeals, memorandum and letters to the government failed to yield any response. They took up the initiative of building five wooden dampeners with money pooled in by all. However, the structures did not last long in the face of the ferocity of the river water. The forum then decided to impose blockade at the Khagarijaan Oil Well of OIL in 1999. Efforts by the oil major to resume work at the site were resisted by the locals and the situation continued for the next three years.

In January 2004, representatives of the forum, OIL and district administration held a tripartite talk at Dibrugarh, following which an agreement was signed. OIL agreed to build 360 dampeners along the riverbank in the Rohmoria area in order to stem erosion while RERSF decided to lift the oil blockade. However, only 34 of the structures were built amidst allegations of contractors failing to maintain the required standard in the construction. When work on more dampeners failed to proceed, the forum re-imposed the oil blockade in 2007. There were attempts to revive negotiations but there was no progress and the stalemate continues.

In the meantime, the government made several grand announcements of anti-erosion projects for Rohmoria. In 2002, the district administration said that the central government would spend Rs 350 crore for anti-erosion measures but little happened thereafter. People’s hope revived when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh visited the place in January 2006 and announced about a Rs 407 crore project. Then Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz visited Rohmoria the following year and reiterated the Centre’s determination to keep the promise made by Dr Singh. However, there was little to show in the way of constructive steps towards the execution of the grand project.

Meanwhile, the people continue to suffer. There has been no coherent plan to address the plight of the displaced people. While many families have shifted to other places after losing everything to the river, some made their homes in public spaces like grazing grounds. There are around 75 households living in the Gorpara Konwar Gaon cremation ground since 2001. No attempt has been made to rehabilitate them.

As of now, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the people of Rohmoria. source: the sentinel