Dibrugarh water resources dept deploys geo bags, porcupine structures to combat Brahmaputra erosion

Dibrugarh: The district water resources department on Sunday deployed US-made geo textile bags and traditional porcupine structures, along the Brahmaputra River in Dibrugarh, to fortify vulnerable riverbanks, ahead of the next monsoon season.Focussing on an 800-metre erosion-affected stretch in areas like Nagaghuli, the geo bags and the porcupine structures were strategically placed to provide rapid, flexible armouring and absorb the impact of the waves, while preventing loss of the underlying soil, combating the river’s aggressive erosive forces.Water resources department (WRD) officials said similar projects were being implemented along extended stretches of the riverbank in Dibrugarh, stretching from Maijan to Mohanaghat.“Work is underway round-the-clock in the winter season. The Brahmaputra’s force demands a dual strategy. We use the geo bags for rapid, flexible bank armouring, protecting the immediate soil structure. Concurrently, the porcupines work in the water to dissipate the energy and, crucially, help the river deposit its own sediment, making the solution sustainable. It’s about calming the river near the bank so that the bank can heal itself under the protection of the geo bags,” Dibrugarh WRD engineer Suman Sonowal said.

Sonowal said enhancement of river spurs were being carried out, adjacent to Dibrugarh city, comprising of 8 stone spurs, 3 permeable spurs and 47 wooden spurs.Dibrugarh’s battle against erosion dates back to the catastrophic 1950 Assam earthquake, which struck on Aug 15, fundamentally altering the Brahmaputra’s course and raising it several metres above the city’s ground level.