International Day of Action for Rivers celebrated in an island of Subansiri, Assam

-

Day of Action for Rivers observed in an island of Subansiri

 Monoj Gogoi




 DHEMAJI, MARCH 14, 2013:

The People's Movement for Subansiri Brahmaputra Valley (PMSBV), an anti-dam organisation of the Subansiri valley celebrated the International Day of Action for Rivers today at an island of the Subansiri river near Chauldhuwa. On the occasion, hundreds of men and women gathered on the island from various rural areas of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts and going to the riverside they lit earthen lamps in order to worship the river. In the knee-depth water the people shouted slogans against the construction of Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project (LSHEP) carrying posters and banners in their hands. Talking about the significance of the Day, Keshoba Krishna Chatradhara, the secretary of the PMSBV told that this day had been observed at various parts of the world since 1998 and in Subansiri valley PMSBV had been celebrating this day from 2004 in various ways. He told that the rivers, which are just the arteries of the earth were facing sever threat from the profit making dam builders and as a result of that the rivers were going to lost their ecosystem for ever. Observing International Day of Action for Rivers was an effort by the dam affected people to save their rivers, Chatradhara told. In the meeting held on occasion, Keshoba Krishna Chatradhara's voluminous book Swarna Upaityakar Pora Mrityu Upatyakaloi was inaugurated by a local media person Monoj Gogoi. A discussion on Subansiri, Environment and the Future of the Valley was also held among the participants where the participants reiterated that the LSHEP would bring serious havoc to the environment and the downstream people. It may mentioned that the International Day of Action for Rivers, earlier known as International Day of Action against Large Dams, for Rivers and Life was decided to celebrated on March 14 in each year in a meeting of dam affected people in Curitiba, Brazil in 1997. In the meeting more than 300 dam affected people of 20 countries gathered there and decided to celebrate the Brazil's Day of Action against Large Dams internationally from the next year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RIVER BANK EROSION DISPLACES MILLIONS IN ASSAM

-
Image
MONOJ GOGOI   Massive river bank erosion in Assam has been  displacing hundreds of thousands families across the state over decades since India's Independence in 1947. In recent years,  the intensity and frequency of floods and erosion have also been increasing in the state. A photo of the IAG meeting in Lakhimpur. According to experts the behavior of rivers in Assam changed just after the Assam Earthquake of 1950 which was measured 8.7 in the Richter scale. The earthquake and the aftershock elevated the river beds of all rivers in Assam. Some rivers including  Subansiri changed channels during the earthquake. It is estimated that since 1950 about 4.27 Sq km of land has been eroded by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries in Assam. In a recent statement CK Das, former Additional Chief Secretary of the state said that the size of the land that fell in river bank erosion would be about 5000 Sq km. But it is believed that the furious fast flowing rivers eroded mass more lands displacing
Read more

Many farmers fail to harvest black lentils in Majuli, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur. Pod less plants used as fodder.

-
Image
MONOJ GOGOI  Black lentil is one of the major crops that farmers grow in the alluvial soils of Majuli, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji for additional income support and also to compensate if their main cultivation - the sali rice (plant in summer and harvest in winter) fails either due to flood or other causes. But, this harvesting season, most farmers are not harvesting black lentils as no pod found in the plants and cows are freed to eat the plants as the plants are of no use without pods.                                                                                   Photos from Majuli Ananta Hazarika of Garamur, Majuli who also works as temporary worker in district agriculture office told that it was surprising that the farmers in the entire Majuli district were highly affected by the failure of black lentil crop. In distress, farmers grazed cows in the fields of black lentils. Such information poured from all corners of the district, he added. Raj Kumar Chandi from Dhunaguri area of Lak
Read more

LOW YIELD OF BETEL NUTS HITS RURAL ECONOMY IN ASSAM THIS YEAR

-
Image
MONOJ GOGOI   It's the harvesting period of betel nut or supari (areca nut) in Assam. But the yield of betel nuts is discernibly low this year in all the districts of Assam compared to previous years.       Chandan Boro, who plucks betel nuts, with Ranjit Basumatary and Raju Basumatary in this season in various villages under Gogamukh revenue circle of Dhemaji district in Assam says that in this harvesting season of betel nuts they are not getting as much works as they did in previous years. He says in the orchards where we plucked 20 quintals last year, this year's yield in the same orchard is less than 5 quintals. In many trees not even a single nut is found and in which trees nuts are there, it's comparatively very few.    Ranjit Basumatary says we are roaming from village to village but the situation is the same. "We are shocked to see the drastic change in the crop yields", he adds.    Biren Pegu, a betel nut grower from Goroimari area under Kadam rev
Read more