Woes, Worries and a Way Forward: An Ethnographic Study in the Majuli Island, Assam
Lika Dholua and Ngamjahao Kipgen
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Abstract
Majuli is the largest river island in the world. It is situated within the natural boundaries of the Brahmaputra ~ to its south, Kherkotiya huti (tributary or a branch) lies to its north-east and Luit and Subansiri lie to the north-west of it. The geographic formation and location of the island contribute to it being a naturally flood and erosion-prone area. Despite being a place of importance (the island is the cultural capital of the state of Assam), the islanders have to face floods and riverbank erosion as it is located on the Brahmaputra river. This paper underscores floods and erosion as disasters that are a part of the everyday life of the local population. The history of the island formation of Majuli helps us understand the limitations the people have been facing over the years. The islanders have mixed feelings, some are content with the present scenario and progress, while some aren’t. Based on an ethnographic study, this paper focuses on the problems that the locals encountered such as landlessness, lack of communication, healthcare facilities and infrastructural issues. The paper further discusses certain ways through which locals have developed resilience and adapted to the challenges through agencies like family, community and the help of other groups like non-governmental organizations. Sometimes, groups of people have also migrated and adapted to a new life outside their local environment. These struggles and their response strategies have been studied empirically which have brought to the limelight the uncertain lives of the islanders of Majuli.
Keywords: Floods, riverbank erosion, risk, uncertainty.