Assam: Lakhimpur's Pub Telahi hit by massive Subansiri River erosion

North Lakhimpur: The Pub Telahi Gaon Panchayat area of Assam's Lakhimpur district, a riverine region near Majuli, has been severely affected by massive riverbank erosion caused by the Subansiri River.

Efforts by local authorities to address the issue have been slow, hampered by administrative complications following the merger of the Gaon Panchayat into Majuli district and its inclusion in a newly delimited LAC within Lakhimpur.

The erosion has continued unabated during this dry season, following significant damage during the last monsoon.

Agricultural lands across several hundred hectares have been lost in ten wards of the Gaon Panchayat, including Aserakota, Adisuti, Gowalbari, Major Chapori, Singimari, Bamoyachuk, Na-Ali, Tamargaon, Dafalakota, and Korha Chapori.

Standing crops of black lentil and mustard seeds have been destroyed as the river advances along its right-hand banks.

Administrative changes further complicate the area’s riverine and flood-prone nature.

Originally part of the 111 Lakhimpur LAC, Pub Telahi Gaon Panchayat was included in the newly formed 75 Nowboicha (SC) LAC following Assam’s 2023 delimitation exercise.

Two years later, it was officially transferred to the Majuli district to meet long-standing local demands. However, the earlier delimitation made it technically difficult for state authorities to intervene.

As a result, the General Administration Department of Assam has kept the order transferring Pub Telahi to Majuli district in abeyance, leaving villagers far from the North Lakhimpur district headquarters and making it challenging to seek timely assistance.

Caught in this administrative and electoral dispute, residents of Pub Telahi continue to face the relentless erosion of the Subansiri, which has severely impacted their lives and livelihoods.