Modern day Majuli

People who are aware of the existence of this nearly UNESCO World Heritage Site, supposedly the world’s largest river island – Majuli, clearly know the existential crisis that the island faces due to large scale erosion. Apparently, the Government of Assam has repeatedly turned down assistance from the UNESCO for preparing a dossier for the inclusion of Majuli in the UNESCO world heritage site list. Ironically, the reason cited for the refusal is “conflict of interest”. Interestingly, this hide and seek between the government and its various stakeholders has been going on since 1998, without bearing any effective results. Although the Guinness World Records declared Majuli as the world’s largest river island in 2006, it has lost one-third of its total land area courtesy heavy erosion due to frequent flooding by the mighty river “Brahmaputra”. However, today I won’t be writing about the issue of erosion that the island faces. I’m saving it for some other day.

There is another modern-day problem that has steadily made its presence felt on the island during the last couple of years. The menace of plastic and its associated environmental issues have not spared even this relatively remote island. People generally love to romanticize Majuli with the natural flora and fauna that is no doubt a feast for the eyes. However, in the process, they refuse to acknowledge the evidently looming crisis of plastic. It is also fairly possible that they choose to ignore it in the hope of some miracle or because they are genuinely helpless. Honestly, I feel rather naive to come in terms with the later part. I have often found people posting photos of scenic beauty of the island with hashtags #Naturelover, #heavenlyabode etc. Of course, there is nothing wrong with such activities. In all fairness, it only adds to the tourist appeal of the place. In fact, I am myself gullible to posting such attractive pictures online on a few occasions. However, people shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the fact that there has been a phenomenal increase in the use of plastic in the last couple of years.

The rise of tourism on the island has only added to this menace. It would be probably wrong to say that the problem of plastic was non-existent a few years ago. However, the use of plastic was limited primarily to the commercial purpose and the general public preferred to be closer to nature. The so-called “development” and “progress” has come at the cost of degradation to the environment. It has provided the people easy access to many things which were considered a luxury a few years ago. During my childhood, mobile phones were considered a thing which only the rich could afford. Now, almost every household on the island has at least one mobile phone. Although there is a positive side to this development, the bigger question is whether the ecological imbalance that comes with it can be justified. Earlier, the concept of reuse was very popular, and it was imbibed in the psyche of every islander. However, the modern-day Majulian have replaced it with “use and throw”. This has given rise to piles of plastic especially water bottles and polythene, in every nook and corner of the island. The rivers have also not been spared of this plastic menace. People generally throw plastic bottles, polythene, toffee wrappers and other forms of plastic without giving a second thought into the rivers and the other water bodies. It is pretty much a common sight in the ferry that connects the nearest town Jorhat to the island. It would probably be unfair to put the entire blame on the people. There is a lack of awareness among the general public about the ill effects of plastic on the environment.

The educational institutes are in a great position to take the lead in this regard. They have the opportunity to teach young students about the impact of plastic on the environment. Young school going children are our biggest hope and they have the potential to become the torchbearers of human kind’s fight against this menacing problem. The government can further strengthen the cause by making stringent laws regarding plastic use and littering. The local NGOs can contribute by creating widespread awareness about the ill effects of plastic through large scale cleanliness campaigns and drives. As individuals, what we can do is to minimize the use of plastic in our daily lives and voice against littering of plastic in public places and natural bodies. In fact, as millennial, we can do much more than that. We are all aware of the power of the internet. We definitely can use it to the cause of creating public awareness about the ill effects of plastic on the environment. We can take a step further by highlighting and undertaking projects that discourage littering.

The most frightening part of the problem is the mentality of the so-called educated lot. It is understandable if an illiterate person throws garbage at inappropriate places because he/she might not be aware of the consequences. But the same action cannot be justified and is not expected of college students and graduates, because they are fully aware of the consequences that their actions bear. Our beloved island is strong enough to absorb this man-made crisis for a couple of more years. Maybe a couple more than what I expect, but eventually, it will succumb. And with that, we have to inevitably face the demon that we would have created ourselves and we will have only ourselves to blame.

Neighbros (Neighbours + Brothers) cleaning and installing bamboo dustbins in their locality