Assam's Rs 58 Cr Water Project on Verge of Collapse Due to Erosion

A multi-crore drinking water supply scheme built along the banks of the Dhansiri River in Assam's Golaghat district now stares at imminent disaster. The Rs 58-crore project, intended to provide arsenic-free drinking water to thousands, is under serious threat from aggressive riverbank erosion — and could be swallowed by the river at any moment.

The vulnerable site lies at Adhar Satra under the Khumtai Legislative Assembly Constituency, where the Dhansiri River is slowly but steadily eating away at its banks. Constructed in 2014, the large-scale water supply scheme was hailed as a crucial step towards ensuring safe drinking water in the region. Today, that very project teeters on the edge of destruction.

Just a single spell of rainfall is enough to trigger massive soil erosion. Locals report that chunks of land are already collapsing into the river with each downpour. Only 15 meters of land now stand between the relentless river and the vulnerable infrastructure of the water project.

The erosion has reached a critical stage, with the situation turning extremely dangerous. Yet, the response from the concerned department and district administration has been one of deafening silence. Despite clear warning signs, no protective embankment has been erected to shield the site from the advancing Dhansiri.

If immediate steps are not taken to build protective barriers, the entire Rs 58-crore arsenic-free water supply scheme could be washed away — a monumental loss not just of public money but of a lifeline meant for countless villagers.

For now, the river waits — and with it, so does the fate of this vital public utility.

ALSO READ: Majuli-Jorhat Bridge Project Stalled for a Year, Erosion Worsens Situation