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Majuli, in Assam, the world's largest populated river island, is the nerve centre of Srimanta Sankadev's neo-Vaishnavite culture. It is also rich in biodiversity and ethnic-diversity.

The river island, located in the middle of the Brahmaputra has already been subjected to acute flooding and erosion problems, which have emerged as a potent threat to the island. In recent years, the magnitude of erosion has increased manifold. An average 7.4 square km area of Majuli is being lost in erosion every year.

With concerns being raised over the environmental and ecological impact in downstream Assam due to large-scale dam construction in Arunachal Pradesh, experts are of the opinion that Majuli's existence would be greatly threatened by the projects.

"I think the time has come for us to seriously think about the threat to Majuli island due to large hydro-electric projects. The island's size has substantially been reduced because of unabated erosion. The upcoming dams have added more threats to the island. As the discourse on dams is gaining ground in the state, we should also think of their impact on Majuli," an expert involved with dam-impact studies, said.