Villagers fear losing their shelters to soil erosion in West Bengal district

k Chak (West Bengal), Sep.5 (ANIResidents of several villages alongside the River Ganges in West Bengals Manik Chak Block are living in constant fear of losing their houses to soil erosion caused by river waters.

Manik Chak (West Bengal), Sep.5 : Residents of several villages alongside the River Ganges in West Bengal's Manik Chak Block are living in constant fear of losing their houses to soil erosion caused by river waters.

These villages fall in the State's Malda District.

Since August 15, the river has been flowing above the danger mark and has engulfed huge tracts of land along its bank.

Interestingly, the course of River Ganges has been tilting from east to west and vice-versa every 50 years.

Studies reveal that due to the soil erosion and the present easterly trends, the river has cut off nearly 20,500 hectares (land) and submerged nearly 30 villages in Malda District over the past 12 years.

According to Professor Subir Sarkar, a Geological Sciences expert from North Bengal University, the river may soon recede westward, providing relief to villagers in Manik Chak.

The West Bengal Government, as a remedial measure, has constructed embankments in the region. The barriers, however, have failed to check the gushing waters of the River Ganges, as they are poorly designed and constructed with adulterated material, claims Sarkar.

Sarkar says: "The irrigation department is making embankments after embankments but their designs and material used is so poor that they collapse. There is nexus between the politicians and the contractors who erect them."

Chitta Ranjan Das, the District Magistrate of Malda District, said: "The erosion in the district has a long history, the oscillation of River Ganga takes place in every 50 or 60 years. It moves from east to west and returns. It seems that, as the river experts say, that river may oscillate westward again."

West Bengal falls in the Eastern Gangetic belt and the rich alluvial soil is prone to erosion.

Flooding is a perennial problem in the area, as heavy discharge from the snow-fed rivers like Mahananda and Kalindri from the upper reaches of Himalayan range also add to the problem.

Soil erosion by water, wind and tillage affects both agriculture and the natural environment. Soil loss, and its associated impacts, is one of the most important (yet probably the least well-known) of today's environmental problems

ANI