River erosion cuts off Silchar-Narayanpur road

Silchar: A stretch of the PWD road connecting Uttar Narayanpur in Hailakandi district with Silchar caved in on Friday after the Katakhal river unleashed a fresh spell of erosion, cutting off road communication for thousands of residents.Locals said the river, swollen and aggressive, began eating into the embankment and adjoining road early in the morning. Within hours, nearly 60 metres of the road running through Uttar Narayanpur in the Algapur assembly segment collapsed, leaving the vital link twisted, broken, and impassable.The sudden breach has disrupted normal life in the region. Residents said the Narayanpur–Silchar PWD Road, widely used for daily travel, emergency services, and supply of essentials, now lies completely severed, raising concerns over access to healthcare and relief if conditions worsen.Villagers alleged they had repeatedly warned authorities about the growing vulnerability of the riverbank. Previous erosion episodes had already scarred the area, but despite appeals, the Water Resources Department and local administration failed to implement permanent anti-erosion measures. Friday’s collapse, they said, was an “avoidable disaster.”The threat extends beyond Narayanpur. Embankments in Buribail under the Borkhola constituency, Kalinagar in Katigorah, Bairenga in Silchar, Sonai, and Fulertal are also in precarious condition.

Each monsoon, breaches and seepage force thousands to abandon their homes as floodwaters inundate villages across the Barak Valley.Sources said over the past year, at least 150 families in Buribail under the Borkhola constituency lost their homes due to the unabated erosion of the Barak river. Twenty more families in the village are on the verge of losing their houses as the river continues to advance. Eight families in Kalinagar under the Katigorah constituency lost their homes to erosion just last month, sources added.Experts point out that much of the region’s flood-protection infrastructure is decades old. Most embankments receive only temporary reinforcement — sandbags, bamboo piling, or surface patchwork — which fails to withstand the river’s force during peak monsoon flows.With large portions of the Katakhal and Barak river systems under stress, local communities fear that unless durable, long-term erosion-control measures are implemented, more such disasters may unfold in the coming weeks. Authorities are yet to announce restoration plans for the damaged road or immediate protection work along vulnerable stretches.