Majuli (pronounced Mazuli), the largest freshwater river island of the world (located in the North Eastern of Assam, India), is eroding every day. Every year it is said that chunks of land fall into the mighty Brahmaputra, forever gone. The monsoon season results in massive floods, when the river water level goes beyond the danger limit, further eroding this beautiful island.
“The island had a total area of 1,250 square kilometers (483 sq mi), but having lost significantly to erosion it had an area of only 352 square kilometres (136 sq mi) in 2014.[2]Majuli has shrunk as the river surrounding it has grown.” – Wiki
My dad told me that the school he went to no longer exists. It has been long since that piece of land became a part of the river. Majuli is an island that is disappearing every passing day, inch by inch, into the untamed Brahmaputra. The ferries carry a lot of traffic to and from Majuli and various districts of Assam. During my last visit, while I was waiting for Dad to arrive at Nimati ghat (Jorhat), after a visit to his birthplace, I saw how incredibly fragile and delicate life looked against nature. That ferry was not only packed with people but also cars and bikes, all at the mercy of the majestic river.
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| Last December at Nimati Ghat, Jorhat, Assam |
Man must face the wrath of nature for everything he has done to her.
But yes, the news fills me with such sadness everytime I read about it.
the news was terrible to read… specially about the loss of animals.
All I can say is river Brahmaputra please be calm :')
A part of my heart always stays at Assam .
thank you writing in Dixita
All I can say is river Brahmaputra please be calm :')
A part of my heart always stays at Assam .
It is sad to read about loss of lives, both of humans and animals. The river flows taking with it the parts of land from the island, we can just stand and watch the destruction.I have been meaning to visit Assam for a while now, we do have such fragile lives.
oh you should visit it during Spring… you will love the how beautiful nature looks when it's not furious 🙂
Such an awful situation.
it is Sheetal.
This delicate balance in nature has been affected so much due to global warming and such phenomenon!
thanks Reema
If we don't actually now, Nature I'm it's fury will destroy us. Global warming has gone up to alarming levels. The floods in Assam are a reflection of that. It is just sad to hear how countless lives and resources are lost! 🙁
Very good take on the prompt.
This autocorrect!! *act not actually and Nature *In 🙈
Thanks Aditi. It's terrible to helplessly see the lives of people and animal wash away by nature, I hope our govt. takes some steps to stop it next year.
The news about the floods has been very depressing, Rajlakshmi!Wonder if it's Nature's way of getting even with the man-made ecological imbalances.
All the things we have done to our environment, we can't expect Nature to be less fierce. Thanks Uma
I know how awful the situation is in Assam. We've been organizing essentials towards flood relief via a Facebook group to send to those areas. Can't even imagine the horror of losing everything overnight. May we be grateful for everything we have.
That is awesome Vidya. I know it would immensely help the people of Assam and neighboring states.
👍
Thanks Anasuya di 🙂
Good Lord, this is tragic, I am speechless. All I can do is pray.
Thanks Sunila.
This is madness!! 30 lakhs are displaced!!! No wonder the river becomes deadly in times of monsoon!
And those whose lives are dependent on the river, sure lead fragile lives!
Geets
I know unbelievable right, but it happens every year. Fragile lives indeed!!
In so many places around the world our beautiful Earth is slowly crumbling and every day lives are being lost to nature and to man. One of my places to visit is Kaziranga.
You should visit it sooner 🙂 It's a lovely way to connect with the flora and fauna of Assam
How devastating about island eroding and about the floods and how so many animals and people are drowning in that river. Good take on the prompt. Fragile lives, indeed!
Thanks Cathy. It's actually quite difficult to imagine a land being washed away.
This is so sad….and your photo so aptly captures the fragility of our lives…..One wrong step, one wobble, and all are done….
true… thank you Sunaina
Very aptly written.
thank you
Nature in its fury can be pretty destructive. Sad about the flood situation in Assam. Not only it is devastating for people and animals but so much of resources are lost too!
The fragile environment has a role to play in our mortality on planer earth too! They say small steps can help make a change, and the least we can do is try and hope for the best!
The small steps have first deteriorated the environment… it's time be trace back and fix our world.
If we do not heed to nature soon – we are all endagered! B'lore recenly had a episode of flash flood n a lake which is 2km awy from my house partly washed off one of those huts that had come up in its vivinity 🙁
Oh the floods in Bangalore and Chennai last year were totally created by Man. The foolishness and greed of Man.
I have heard about Majuli and every year what the growing river results in. And the floods in Assam, I just hope situation goes back to normal soon. It's a pity very few care about our North East. But yes, you are right, if only we realize how fragile the relationship with nature is , maybe we might take care of it
First floods and now few attacks, it's terrible to see a beautiful state deteriorate every passing day.
This is disheartening to read about this flood. It is a tragedy of our generation that many lives are lost due to draught and many more due to floods!!!
Agree … Floods have caused destruction all over the world. I can't understand why we can't take precautionary measures even though we know that floods hit every year.
Soo sad to read this! Isn't there a limit to man-made calamities! Greed and sheer callousness, will have its price!
It all begins with greed … I hope people and govt will take precautions for the next year.
That is very sobering. Nature's fury is something that makes us feel so helpless and to add to it the misery of human callousness.
Yes, it's time we realize that Nature can't be tamed… and we respect her.
Oh …. it's very painful, Raj. We should save our water resources for our next generations. It's our responsibility too.
Oh …. it's very painful, Raj. We should save our water resources for our next generations. It's our responsibility too.
That is true… but I.wonder what will be left if the floods situation gets worse every year
The two sides of nature are such opposites. On one side it nourishes and on one side the wrath it unfurls is really disheartening. Sad to know the trauma caused.
True… the river is fierce and it takes down everything with it.
This is shocking. The river can be dangerous. We need to be better prepared to meet the rains. How sad it is that rare rhinos were drowned not to mention the loss of precious property. I cannot begin to imagine how people displaced by the flood will rebuild their lives.
I am afraid of the loss that might happen next year…this year of overall a million people were displaced.
This is so painful to even read…Precious life and property being lost to the fury of nature is an immediate concern. It must be so sad to know the place you once lived in has just disappeared from the face of the earth.
Shubhangi @ The Little Princess
Yes, it's quite unimaginable and yet I know those who have lost land to the wrath of nature.
Kaziranga National Park is such a huge area. I visited it in 1990. It pains me to know the rare rhinos have drowned in the floods. Brahmaputra is a mighty river like no other in our country. As a child sitting on it banks in Guwahati, I always took it for a sea. Soil erosion, rising levels of water bodies are real. We, living in big cities, feel far removed from concerns of climatic change but every monsoon the water coming from the skies makes us realise the wrecks, resulting from greed of people. You have raised a worthy cause with the prompt.
I feel terribly for the loss of animals … the sanctuary is so beautiful but it's getting damaged every year by flood. Loved reading about your memories of Assam.
Oh my ! It hurts to even read the updates of the flood. It's disheartening and sad to know that so many animals have lost their lives. Global warming and it's impact is catching up on all of us at an alarming rate and it makes me worried to realize what world we are leaving behind for our next generation. 🙁
Yes so much loss and destruction… the sad thing is it's happening for years and yet no one takes a proper action to contain this much damage.