Majuli – The disappearing island in Assam

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.

 
Majuli Assam
Last December at  Nimati Ghat, Jorhat, Assam
 
 
 
Our lives are fragile and probably if we believe that more often we would start appreciating the lives of others too.
Note- Here’s the current statistics of Flood situation in Assam. Over 200 animals drowned in the past two weeks, including 13 rare Rhinoceros.  Kaziranga National Park,  a UNESCO certified world heritage place and home to two-thirds of the  world’s one Horned Rhino, was 80% submerged in flood water.  30 lakh people  have been displayed displaced and 28 lost their lives. 
 
 
 
 
Linking to:
 
Blog-a-rhythm Prompt – Fragile Lives (Used as a theme for the post)
 
 
 
 
 
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Related Post – 7 facts about Assam and its people

58 thoughts on “Majuli – The disappearing island in Assam

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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