Residents of Sonitpur get together to construct a bamboo barrier to prevent erosion

An NGO called Balipara Mahila Shakti Kendra, working with the Baligaon Miri Gaon Development Committee and with the help of Kolabari residents, has started building a bamboo barrier to stop severe erosion along the Jiabharali and Dikrai rivers. This is an incredible demonstration of community resiliency. In order to stop additional harm to their houses and land in Rongapara’s Chiloni Gaon Panchayat, locals and organization members decided to finance and construct this vital construction on their own, even in the absence of support from the state’s Water Resources Department.

Only little areas of arable land and homesteads remain intact after erosion has already sucked up thousands of bighas of productive farmland, ruining agricultural potential for farmers in five communities that are close to rivers. In the face of these harsh facts, the communities along the riverbank banded together in a concerted effort to build protective bamboo parkupiles, with each volunteer driven by the pressing need to save what was left of their property and means of subsistence.

The endeavor was financed by the limited personal resources of the Baligaon Miri Gaon Development Committee and Balipara Mahila Shakti Kendra leaders. Initiated as a labor contribution campaign, the bamboo barrier was built by Kamisan Mili, a recipient of the Jiabharali Samaj Hitaishi Award, and Padeswar Mili, a youth leader and member of the central Mishing National Struggle Association.