Jadav Payeng lives on the biggest river island in the world, Majuli
The island, however, is under constant threat due to the extensive soil erosion on its banks
Over the last 70 years, Majuli has shrunk by more than half and there are concerns it will be submerged in the next 20 years
But its life may have even been shorter if it wasn’t for Jadav
Everything started in 1979 when he was only 16 years old
He encountered a large number of snakes that had died due to excessive heat after floods washed them onto the tree-less sandbar
There and then, Jadav made it his life’s mission to save Majuli from erosion by planting trees
And he has been doing it every day for the last 39 years
He has planted 550 hectares of forest – larger than Central Park in New York City (340 hectares)
And it has become home to many animals
Including Bengal tigers and Indian rhinoceros
Even a herd of over 100 elephants regularly visit it every year
The reason why Majuli is shrinking has a lot to do with the large embankments up the Brahmaputra river
People built them for protection from everything the monsoon season throws at them
But the embankments redirect the devastating fury of the river to the island
To learn more about the “Forest Man of India” and his fight, watch the short documentary below
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