The Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Balinong, located in Changlang district, is under threat due to severe erosion along the banks of the Burhi Dehing River.
Approximately 10,000 square metres of land were eroded following last year’s flooding in the Noa-Dehing River, a major upstream tributary. However, the issue is not limited to flooding alone. Extensive river mining has severely disrupted the natural landscape, contributing significantly to the erosion. Sand and boulder mining along the Burhi Dehing riverbanks is rampant, with many involved in these activities.
This illegal mining stretches across the entire span from Jagun Ghat in downstream Assam to the M’pen area near Namdapha National Park in Miao.
It is estimated that eight crusher mills, with a combined annual capacity of 380,250 cubic metres, have been established along the Burhi Dehing River since 2017. Excessive mining has begun to seriously damage the health of the river, leading to alarming levels of degradation.
What is particularly concerning is that these activities continue unregulated and, in most cases, illegally, while the administration appears to turn a blind eye.
For now, before the onset of the monsoon, it is imperative to relocate residents from the affected area and shift all movable infrastructure. Long-term action must be taken, including strict regulation and reduction of river mining. The administration must fulfill its responsibilities and act decisively, as an entire institution is being brought to its knees by unchecked human greed, worsened by seasonal monsoons.