Floods In Assam - We need to wake up
It’s happening again! With the persistent fury of the rain gods many parts of Assam is reeling under flood waters for the umpteenth time. Year in and year out we witness the damage and destruction that the flash floods and monsoon rains bestow upon us and we can do little but watch in helpless horror. The relentless downpour in the hills as well as the plains of neighboring Arunachal Pradesh has made the Brahmaputra and its tributaries flow above the danger mark putting many at risk. Meanwhile the continuing rain in Bhutan has caused massive erosion on the western banks of the Aie river right from Daosri to Dhaligaon in the North of NH-31©. Frequent breaches in the embankment of Jiadhol river have further deteriorated the situation in the flood hit Dhemaji district. The situation worsened with the giving away of the Bailey bridge constructed by the Army in order to keep the district connected to the mainland. The Jiadhol river wrecked havoc when it breached the embankment at Dehari Chapori village and further aggravated the flood situation. A lot of people have lost their lives in these flood and have rendered thousands homeless. In Dhemaji alone a record number of about 50,000 thousand people have been affected. Though the district has not faced any food stuff shortage so far as the Food Corporation of India has maintained adequate stocks, but the probability of artificial scarcity cannot be ruled out due to the possibility of hoarding. The animals in Kaziranga National Park were not spared either as rhinos and other wildlife were observed to be stranded in search of dry land or were trying to shift towards the hills of Karbi Anglong. Even the wild animals of Kohara, Bagari and Agaratali ranges have fled to the Karbi hills by crossing NH- 3. The floods have put the animals in great danger as they have been forced to leave their habitats and the poachers are on the look out to strike at these helpless creatures. Guwahati is not spared either as the city is on high alert with the Brahmaputra flowing at 49.28 meters, only marginally below the danger level of 49.68. According to the officials of the Central Water Commission the river would further rise to a minimum of 49.37 meters within the next few days if the downpour continues. The Brahmaputra is flowing high above the danger mark in Dibrugarh as well. More than 16 villages under Joypur and Tingkhong block in the district have faced the flood fury caused by the rivers Disang and Buri Dihing. Security measures have been beefed up for the safety of the people. The Principal Secretary of Revenue and Disaster management, VR Pipersenia, stated that a battalion of the National Disaster Response Force has allegedly already been stationed in Assam and would render its services anywhere needed. Floods are a part and parcel of life in Assam during the monsoons and we should have made necessary arrangements of tackling the situation that arise out of its consequences by now. Instead of always counting the statistics of loss and damage we the people and the government should brainstorm means and ways of dealing defiantly with the recurrent floods in the process saving lives and property
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This women’s day I salute those unsung ‘heroes’ who have withstood the onslaught of fickle fate. No they are not faces in the crowd rather they are the crowd whose faces we don’t remember. They are those who are living in the periphery of life, battling everyday issues of home and hearth.I bow my head in reverence to the grit of Mausam’s mother who put aside her grief after losing her only son to Ewing’s Sarcoma in order to stand as a pillar of strength to her broken husband who unable to bear the tempest of misfortune had almost lost touch with reality. I like many others was a helpless bystander of the tale of woe that had fallen like a bolt from the blue on this poor family. But...
If I had wings and were a birdWould travel the world and orbit the EarthOr had I been a butterfly Eclectic colors would be mineI would hover over trees, flutter over blooms, On a spiritual high, I would go into a swoonShould I be a fish and swim the seaPass through oceans or haunt a reefWith beautiful corals for companyThe heart would leap at Nature’s bountyHad I been a fir tree insteadMy leaves would flutter in snow headsThe flirty wind would kiss my soulThe icy breeze to lift me up, life would be on a rollWhat if I were the season – SpringOrchid blooms, newness to ring inNo, no let me be the sky, the endless blueFar from earth, to keep a watch on youBut then my mind looks to the...
I, KazirangaShedding tears of bloodMy children, the four leggedIn men no longer trust.God’s blessed beings are theyRoaming the wildsIn search of prey and hayOften trapped by wily menCaught unawaresBy a poaching handLeft to dieWith bleeding woundsWith their hornsCut by forest goonsNo where to runNo where to hideTheir haven encroached by thugsTheir skies taken over by two legged bugsFeigned protectionI don’t seekI, KazirangaWill continue to bleedIf there is no messiahLet my children not desireAny solace from cruel fateBut march towards extinction and Heaven’s gate.
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