Everything looked peaceful, but life here is unpredictable, unnerving and even

dangerous, because Majuli is disappearing from under the feet of the

islanders, fast. Every monsoon, the Brahmaputra takes great bites out of the
island, swallowing many homes. Much of the land disappears under water for
months. In the mid-19th century, Majuli was about 1,200 sq km in area and
was a contender for the title of world’s biggest river island; now it is barely
400 sq km, about the size of the Isle of Wight, and surveys predict that it will
disappear within 20 years. Projects to stop erosion eat through dollars almost
as quickly.

The rate of erosion is so severe that it is likely to submerge the island

in the next 15-20 years, according to Majuli Island Protection &
Development Council, a non-profit.