Auniati Satra Abbot Warns of Community-Led Action as Erosion Threatens Majuli

Majuli’s deepening erosion crisis has drawn urgent intervention from Pitambar Dev Goswami, the satradhikar of Auniati Satra, who visited the severely affected riverbank areas to assess the situation firsthand. Walking through eroded stretches and observing the fast-receding land along the Brahmaputra, the abbot also performed special prayers in the river, seeking divine intervention to protect the island from further loss.

Issuing a strong warning to the state government, Goswami demanded immediate implementation of erosion-control measures, including the construction of geo-embankments and geo-tube fortifications. He set a deadline of December 14, declaring that if the government fails to act, he will mobilize local communities to begin protection work on their own.

“For 40 years, the authorities have failed to protect Majuli’s land from erosion. We cannot wait any longer,” he said.

To build a coordinated response, the abbot has convened a crucial meeting on December 12 at the Satra premises, where officials from the Brahmaputra Board, the Water Resources Department, the district administration, and other key agencies are expected. Goswami warned that if no concrete decisions emerge from this meeting, he and the people of Majuli will initiate embankment construction independently beginning December 14.

The abbot’s stance captures the growing frustration among Majuli’s residents, who have watched vast tracts of land, homes, farmland, and heritage sites disappear into the river year after year. Despite being the world’s largest river island, Majuli continues to shrink rapidly, and decades of sporadic or inadequate government intervention have forced communities to rely increasingly on their own collective efforts.

Speaking to the media alongside Tirtha Bhuyan, the abbot reiterated the long-standing demand for a mega geo-tube embankment as a durable, long-term safeguard for the island. He urged both the administration and the local population to act decisively, stressing that community participation would be crucial if official measures remain inadequate.

Blending spiritual authority with a firm call for action, the abbot’s message reflects the tight interconnection between Majuli’s cultural institutions and the people’s fight for survival. With riverbank erosion accelerating, the coming week will reveal whether the government responds with urgency — or whether the abbot and Majuli’s residents will take matters into their own hands to protect what remains of their homeland.

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