Assam: Brahmaputra’s Wrath Pushes Mankachar Villages to the Brink

A silent catastrophe is unfolding on the India-Bangladesh border in lower Assam’s Mankachar region. The mighty Brahmaputra, swollen and unruly with monsoon fury, is clawing away at the very edge of Indian territory, bringing with it the real and present danger of cutting off one of the last remaining road links to the international border.

Just five kilometers from the district headquarters at Hatsingimari in South Salmara-Mankachar district, near the border village of Kalair Alga, the Brahmaputra’s aggressive erosion has reached critical proximity to the only road that connects India to the border outpost. This slender stretch of road, precariously close to being consumed by the river, is all that stands between Indian border security and the roaring current that divides it from Bangladesh.

The narrow embankment road serves not only as a lifeline for remote villagers but as a crucial artery for India’s border forces. If the Brahmaputra continues its rampage, the road could vanish in a matter of days — and with it, the last stretch of barbed-wire fencing that marks the international boundary.

The consequences would be severe.

“If the road goes, the fencing will go next,” said a local resident of Kalair Alga, gesturing helplessly toward the collapsing bank. “That means the border will be open — and we don’t know what that will lead to.”

The erosion, ongoing for the past few weeks, has intensified rapidly in the last 72 hours, cutting closer to the embankment road with alarming speed. The powerful river current has already narrowed the buffer zone between the waterline and the road to just a few meters in some places.

Fear and Frustration in Riverine Villages

Residents of the riverine villages surrounding Mankachar are gripped by fear. If the embankment breaks, several villages — already vulnerable due to their low-lying geography — face the threat of being submerged or displaced entirely.

The erosion is also triggering fears of security compromise, as border guards rely on this route for patrols and supply movement. A breach could delay response times and render parts of the border porous — a scenario that security agencies have long sought to avoid.

Villagers say this disaster could have been prevented.

Locals Speaking to Pratidin Time: “The erosion of the river has threatened our livelihood. We are all poor people. We have been hearing for a long time that crores and crores of rupees are sanctioned to stop this erosion — but who knows which contractor eats it. They just wrap up their work by putting some bamboos and something else. Where will we go if this road vanishes?”

This heart-wrenching testimony reflects the growing anger among locals, who say that years of empty promises and substandard work have pushed them to the edge — quite literally.

Corruption Allegations Cloud Past Efforts

Local people allege that attempts to reinforce the embankment were made earlier this year — but the work was shoddy, marred by corruption and hastily executed without proper reinforcement. Now, the so-called erosion protection measures have completely vanished, washed away by the very river they were meant to hold back.

“Some sandbags were dumped here just for show,” said another resident of Kalair Alga. “They didn’t last even one season. We warned the authorities, but nobody listened.”

This isn’t the first time the area has faced erosion. But this year, with heavier rainfall and stronger currents, the damage is accelerating at a pace not seen in recent years.

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