Majuli in Assam’s Jorhat District is the world’s largest inhabited river island on the Brahmaputra, and the only way to reach Majuli is on a ferry service from Neamati Ghat on the southern bank of Brahmaputra.
The ferry is always packed to capacity but there’s hardly enough life jackets for all the passengers and it is the only option for people traveling to Majuli, Lakhimpur and further north to Arunachal Pradesh. Even the biggest political parties have to depend on the ferry for their election campaigns.
Erosion has reduced the size of Majuli to just 400 sq km, from an area of almost 1250 sq km in the late 19th century. The only way for the locals to protect themselves from annual floods is to build houses on wooden or concrete pillars and hope that the water level doesn’t reach higher. Locals plant trees during the dry season with the hope that they will act as barriers to protect Majuli from erosion.
The foundation stone of a new bridge was laid recently. It will connect Majuli to Southern Bank of Brahmaputra. But the voters are skeptical, they are not too sure whether the bridge will actually get constructed or whether it’s just a political gimmick in the election season.
Here’s The Quint’s ground report.
(Video editing: Sashant Kumar)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)