Arunachal: Borguli village conducts ritual to appease nature God to stop soil erosion by flooding Siang river
PASIGHAT (Maksam Tayeng)- With no other option left to stop the soil erosion by flooding Siang river which is continuously eroding away large portion of lands toward Old and New Borguli including other villages in the left bank of the Siang river under Mebo Sub-Division, the villagers of the Borguli village conducted a ritual of ‘Puja’ in the bank of river Siang at the confluence of Siang-Ngopok-Kadang river today.
The day-long rituals of Puja was initiated and led by ‘Radang Sirum’, one of the middle aged group of the village by inviting a Pandit (priest) from Oyan and prayed to nature God/Goddesses for stopping massive soil erosion toward the village.
The conduct of the Puja was locally assisted by Yung Tayeng, Chief Adviser of Radang Sirum and others. As per Radang Sirum President, Tolut Ratan and General Secretary, Horinath Tayeng, the ritual of Puja was offered to nature God/Goddesses with a belief and hope that the natural power will come in support and get appeased and the massive soil erosion toward the village will get normalized soon.
It is important to mention here that Borguli village (both New and Old) is one of the worst flood hit villages under Mebo Sub-Division since the Chinese flood of 2000, some two decades ago. The Secondary School at new Borguli (now Hr. Secondary school and shifted to Old Borguli) including its hostels, playground, medical, sericulture farm veterinary centre and many other infrastructures including road network were destroyed by the Siang river.
Large stretch of open land toward a small part of Siang river popularly called ‘Youth Festival area’ after Arunachal Youth Festival was organized in that open stretches of land during 2006, is completely washed away this year after most of its parts were eroded away last and its previous years.
The team Radang Sirum and the entire Borguli village hopes that the Government of Arunachal Pradesh will initiate a major flood control project to tame the turbulent Siang river during monsoon flood while taking and using the local river taming/diverting ideas of the local villagers instead of using the technical ideas of the engineers as local villagers say that the engineering way of flood control (vertical to the river bank and opposite the river current) are a failed method in the region. Later in the evening, the team Radang Sirum felicitated its one of the most dedicated and sincere members, Bolet Tayeng by Lomyum Lego and handed over by Yung Tayeng.
