Assam to reclaim land lost in erosion

The Assam government is launching a mega project to reclaim the land the state has lost over the years due to erosion.

A pilot project to reclaim the eroded land will start in Sualkuchi, Assam's silk town near here, said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Wednesday.

"This will be a first of its kind project. We have been making efforts to stop erosion but now we are going to make efforts to reclaim the land we have lost in the past several years," Gogoi said.

"We are expecting the pilot project to be implemented within six months. If the project is successful, we are going to implement the same technology all over the state," he said.

Land erosion has also created economic problem, with farmers suffering loses every year, the chief minister said.

The land reclamation project will be implemented with the help of Asian Development Bank.

Data shows that Assam has lost 4.27 lakh hectares due to erosion in various districts. The state has about 4,463 km of embankments and 70 percent of them are in a bad shape.

The government has also constituted an expert working group to study the Brahmaputra river across its length in the state. The group will also visit Bangladesh to study the river. - IANS