Dibrugarh, Aug. 2: Erosion by the Brahmaputra has threatened to wipe out Rohmoria mauza under Lahowal Assembly constituency from Assam's geographical map.

Rohmoria is about 36km from Dibrugarh.

"The latest erosion by the Brahmaputra in Bogoritolia village gobbled up 4 square km of agriculture land. Erosion is posing a serious threat to the historical Tamuli Ali road, which connects Dibrugarh with Tinsukia,'' Binod Kedia, chief adviser of Flood Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum, told The Telegraph.

He said Garapora Xatra was gobbled up by the river in 2006. "Till now, 38 revenue villages, tea gardens, primary schools, one sericulture firm have been eroded by the river,'' Kedia said.

Babul Phukan, another resident of Rohmoria, said erosion had been leaving a trail of devastation in their lives for the past 30 years.

"Many of our relatives moved to safer places due to erosion. We are helpless because we cannot leave our land as agriculture is our only source of income. We appeal to the BJP-led government to take immediate steps to resolve the erosion problem,'' he said.

"If the erosion continues, then another six to seven villages under Rohmoria will vanish. Constant threat of erosion has forced more than 25,000 people to shift to other places,'' said Ganan Gogoi, a resident of Bogoritolia.

The Flood Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum, which is spearheading the Save Rohmoria campaign, has urged the authorities to take immediate steps to control erosion in the region. "Rohmoria Higher Secondary School may be wiped out by the Brahmaputra. Rohmoria police outpost has been shifted to a safer place,'' Gogoi said.

In 1990, erosion started in Rohmoria and caused major devastation. In 1999, Flood Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum (FERSF) was formed. "In 1999, it stopped the functioning of Oil India's drilling station at Rohmoria but later it was opened in 2006 and again stopped after two months because of erosion threat,'' Kedia said.

"Recently we met chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and urged him to take immediate steps to control erosion at Rohmoria,'' he said.

Last year, the government sanctioned Rs 78.48 crore under the Integrated Flood and River Bank Erosion Management for laying geo bags on the 6.4-km stretch from Gorpora to Bogoritolia but the amount has not been released yet.