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
Random Stories
13 Jul 2008 - 1:41am |
editor
Lakhimpur District Students Union (AASU) taking out rally “Sangram Dhuwani” on issue of expelling of illegal migrants of Bangladesh from Assam State at Lakhimpur on 12th July 2008. Photos...
13 May 2017 - 7:40pm |
AT Kokrajhar Bureau
One person died and four others received serious injuries due to road mishap at Labrabati Patgaon in Kokrajhar district on Saturday. According to police, an Eon vehicle bound for Siliguri from...
25 Nov 2012 - 2:10am |
Ritupallab Saikia
Gobind Goswami, the Head Master of No.2 Kowani Paharline LP School who was abducted from his school premise by a group of some unidentified miscreants on 21st November, was able to free from the...
13 Mar 2014 - 9:39am |
AT News
A bus conductor was killed when a gang of dacoits unleashed a reign of terror at five super buses in Dhubri district on Thursday.The incident took place at Bogoribari in Dhubri in the wee hours where...
Other Contents by Author
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.
The fact that we need to celebrate Women’s Day portends that all is not well in a women’s world. Or else why would we need to single out a day for millions of women who have equal rights and status in the world they inhabit. We don’t have a men’s day which is evidence enough that all is hunky dory with their race.The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women," while International Women's Day 2013 has declared the year's theme as The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum. But then is it really gaining momentum?As we celebrate Women’s Day today a woman is probably being raped in our rape capital i.e. Delhi or any other...
Lately every morning we have been waking up to screaming headlines of animal killings in the newspapers. Rhinos being poached with their horns brutally severed and left to die,elephants electrocuted or hunted down, their bodies mutilated and left to bleed to death. Gory pictures of animal atrocities splashed in every newspaper, every channel. It really makes one ponder as to how low humans can stoop to gratify their covetous desire for money. Twisted minds are targetting the animal kingdom, mute creatures, innocent beings who do not care nor bother to know how our world has become a slave to money. The world Heritage site Kaziranga National park has seen 20 rhino killings this year and a...
All Hindus become epitomes of excitement to the run up to the festival of the auspicious Durga puja. Pandals coming up everywhere, idols being given finishing touches, revellers thronging the markets, discount offers, designer wear on sale and so on. Everyone is under the grip of puja fever and the associated excitement.But for once if we shift our focus away from ourselves and our frivolous acts and ponder over the plights of those innocent animals that would be sacrificed during the puja offerings, I am sure the smiles in our faces would be wiped off. At least the smiles would vanish from those faces who have a little compassion for the four legged.
Imagine the little pigeons, a symbol...
From bedraggled beggars on the streets to the suit clad brokers on Wall Street – the ubiquitous cell phone is everywhere, in every pocket irrespective of the rich / poor status of its owners. It is no longer an item of luxury albeit it’s a must have today, a necessary evil. For technology comes with a price and the technology behind mobile phones is sure to make mankind pay a heavy price – the price of health and safety.
The recent furore created in the media worldwide over the possible hazareds of mobile phone radiation has made us sit up and take note of the pros and cons of using the innocent looking mobile handset which had till date so surely and surreptitiously...
Man is an animal first and a social animal later. However, our ‘social’ status has failed to erase our animal instincts, which lies dormant in our basic dispositions. The urge to spread violence, the need to kill, and the thirst to quench our carnal desires are proof that there is still some animal in us. These urges raise their ugly heads in the form of homicides, rape and molestation incidents, and mob violence etc putting mankind to shame. The dangerous of all is our affinity towards the mob mentality that threatens to ensnare us at the slightest pretext and at the slightest of provocation.
The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral...
The mellifluous tinkle of the Sarod permeated the atmosphere under a canopy of twinkling stars and a soft breeze that emanated from the somber Nilachal hill. Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan performed at the open amphitheatre in the Kamakhya temple premises striking a divine chord in all our hearts. The setting couldn’t have been more striking. The silhouette of the sanctuary at the backdrop and the stupendous performances of maestros were the perfect mode of the two day Kameshwari Music and Dance festival 2010.
Dance and music have been an inherent part of temples in India since times immemorial. In order to appease the gods these art forms have always been...
“The Assam State Zoo encompassing over 130 hectares of land boasts of an astonishing collection of some rare and extinct species of wild animals settled comfortably in their natural habitat.” This is how a website describes the zoo in our city. However, the ‘stay’ of the animals there is far from ‘comfortable’. The captive animals in small enclosures with hardly room for free movement is a far cry from comfortable. The Assam state Zoo boasts of white tigers, one horned rhinos, Swamp tapirs and leopards to name a few. The zoo is also prosperous in the avian branch and plays host to rare species of birds. Sadly, the animals are caged for better viewing of...
Comments
Pages
Add new comment