Silchar, May 8: Congress leaders from Assam's Barak Valley today submitted a memorandum to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati, seeking a long term solution to the age-old problem of soil erosion in the river banks of the valley.

The leaders include Silchar MP Sushmita Dev, Lakhipur MLA Rajdeep Goala, North Karimganj MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and former minister Ajit Singh.

Speaking to The Telegraph over phone this afternoon, Dev and Goala said erosion has been a perennial problem in the Barak Valley, causing immense suffering to the people. Underscoring the need for addressing the problem of erosion in the valley at the earliest, they urged that steps taken to solve the problem of erosion in case of the Brahmaputra be taken for the Barak too.

The leaders said to strengthen the embankments of the Brahmaputra, a proposal of Rs 4,454.09 crore was sent to the Central Water Commission for techno economy appraisal. Expert advice was taken from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, too for the proposed project. They said a Brahmaputra-like approach, including technical support, should be taken for the Barak too.

They said the Barak river, which is the second largest river system in Assam and the Northeast, has several tributaries that flow through the valley. The tributaries often change their course resulting in floods and cause major damage to life and property. Farmers suffer huge losses almost every year as riverine fertile agricultural lands are lost because of erosion.

Goala said a scheme to solve the problem of erosion at Singirbond in Lakhipur constituency had been proposed in 2013-14 but the project has not been implemented yet.

"The central government had given its nod to the project and Rs 11 crore was released. I brought the matter to the attention of the chief minister today. Hopefully, necessary steps will be taken soon," he said.