Dibrugarh: Fear of the Brahmaputra’s relentless erosion continues to grip residents of Mohanaghat Tingkhong Bhanga Ali in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, prompting hundreds of villagers to organise a special river worship ceremony seeking protection from further erosion.
From early Tuesday morning, men, women, senior citizens and youths gathered along the riverbank to participate in the religious observance after a fresh spell of severe erosion about a week ago heightened anxiety in the area.
The rituals were performed according to Vedic traditions, followed by a Naam-Kirtan. Devotees offered maah-prasad, betel leaves, areca nuts and other traditional offerings, praying for protection from the river and the well-being of families affected by erosion.
As part of the ceremony, villagers floated a symbolic banana-stem raft on the Brahmaputra, praying for the safety and peace of erosion-hit families and seeking relief from the continuing threat.
Residents said the Brahmaputra has been eroding the Mohanaghat Tingkhong Bhanga Ali area for nearly five decades. Over the years, hundreds of bighas of fertile agricultural land have been washed away, while numerous families have lost their homes and ancestral land, forcing many to rebuild their livelihoods.
Although the Water Resources Department is carrying out erosion-control works in the area, residents said the recent spell of severe erosion has once again intensified fears over the safety of their homes and livelihoods.