Riverbank erosion in Dibrugarh leaves families staring at an uncertain future as the mighty Brahmaputra inches closer every year

Dibrugarh, June 20: In Aithan village of Assam’s Dibrugarh district, the monsoon no longer brings just rain. It brings fear.

Every year, as the swollen Brahmaputra surges downstream, residents of this riverside settlement watch helplessly as chunks of land disappear into its muddy waters. Fields vanish. Riverbanks collapse. And with every passing season, the river creeps closer to homes that have stood for generations.

For the people of Aithan, the erosion is not a distant environmental issue. It is an unfolding crisis threatening to erase their village, their livelihoods and their sense of security.

“We don’t know what will happen to us,” says resident Dev Chouhan, echoing a fear shared across the village. “The Brahmaputra has become a serious threat to our lives. Every year the river comes closer. We spend sleepless nights during the monsoon wondering whether our homes will still be here tomorrow.”

Locals say vast stretches of land have already been lost to the river over the years. What was once a safe buffer between the village and the Brahmaputra has steadily narrowed, leaving many families living on the edge of uncertainty.

The erosion has hit farmers particularly hard. Agricultural land, the primary source of income for most households, has been swallowed by the river, forcing many families to watch their livelihoods disappear piece by piece. For some, years of cultivation have been lost in a matter of days.

Authorities have attempted to contain the damage through anti-erosion measures, including the use of geo-bags at vulnerable locations. But villagers remain unconvinced that the interventions are enough to withstand the river’s relentless force.

“Some preventive work has been done, but nobody knows how long it will hold,” Chouhan said. “We need stronger and more permanent protection before it is too late.”

As the monsoon gathers intensity, anxiety is mounting across the village. Residents fear that a major erosion event could trigger fresh displacement and accelerate the loss of land that has already become a recurring reality for many families.

The crisis unfolding in Aithan is also a reminder of a larger challenge confronting Assam. Every year, communities along the Brahmaputra battle one of the world’s most dynamic and unpredictable river systems. Villages shift, farmlands disappear and families are forced to rebuild their lives as the river redraws the landscape.

For now, the people of Aithan continue to wait and watch.

The Brahmaputra remains only a few metres away in some places. And with every crack that appears along the riverbank, fears grow that unless urgent and lasting measures are taken, Aithan could become the latest Assam village claimed by the river.