Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
play
Live

In Pictures

Features|Climate Crisis

Erosion in India’s mighty Brahmaputra River engulfs villages

Brahmaputra always changed course and reclaimed farmland and villages, but the frequency has increased in recent years.

India Climate Erosion
Women offer prayers at a temple of Hindu Goddess Durga, damaged by erosion of Brahmaputra River in Murkata village in northeastern Assam state. Two days later, the temple was washed away. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Published On 7 Nov 20227 Nov 2022
facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink

In the 12 years that he has been the priest of a small temple by the mighty Brahmaputra, Ranajit Mandal had never witnessed the river’s fury like this. Not only the temple, but the 50 homes in his native Murkata village were washed away in a matter of days.

“I feel like the earth has given way under my feet now. I have been the temple’s priest ever since it was built, I feel really lost now,” Mandal said.

Mandal, who is also a farmer and father of two, says the erosion of the river means his family has been deprived of income, relying instead on government assistance. “Each family was given 5,000 rupees [$60] but that is hardly anything compared to what we have lost.”

Murkata village in the northeastern state of Assam lies in one of the most climate-vulnerable regions of India, according to a report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based climate think-tank.

With India ranked the seventh most vulnerable nation to climate change by the non-governmental group Germanwatch, Mandal and other residents of Murkata are on the front lines of the crisis.

The Brahmaputra has always changed course and reclaimed farmland and villages, but the frequency and severity of the river’s destruction have increased in recent years.

A 2020 study by New York-based Earth Institute at Columbia University found that the river’s potential for catastrophic flooding as temperatures rise was being underestimated by nearly 40 percent.

“The river has washed away everything, and we have no place to go back to now,” Mandal said. “Even though we are staying nearby now, if this continues, we will have no choice but to move away from here, away from the river.”

Advertisement
India Climate Erosion
Ranajit Mandal, 35, the priest of a temple of Hindu Goddess Durga, stands with his son, watching the temple being washed away by the river. 'The river has washed away everything, and we have no place to go back to now,' he said. 'Even though we are staying nearby now, if this continues, we'll have no choice but to move away from here, away from the river.' [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Advertisement
India Climate Erosion
The wife of Ranajit Mandal collects drinking water at a school after their house was also washed away. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
A villager carries his belongings, salvaged before his home was washed away. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
Villagers watch the temple of Goddess Durga being washed away. With India ranked the seventh most vulnerable nation to climate change by the non-governmental group Germanwatch, residents of Murkata are on the front lines of the climate crisis. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
A school stands damaged by erosion along the Brahmaputra River in Murkata village. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
The Brahmaputra has always changed its course and reclaimed farmland and villages, but the frequency and severity of the river's destruction have increased in recent years. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Advertisement
India Climate Erosion
A report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based climate think-tank, found Assam to be the most vulnerable state to climate change in India. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
Villagers affected by erosion eat a meal together near the Brahmaputra. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
People walk past an eroding bank by the Brahmaputra in Murkata village. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
Villagers salvaging material from the Goddess Durga temple before it was washed away. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Climate Erosion
Labourers fill bags with sand to be placed along the bank to prevent erosion. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2025 Al Jazeera Media Network