Adhir Ranjan writes to PM Modi, urges to treat WB riverbank erosion as National Disaster

On Saturday, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to treat large-scale riverbank erosion in Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal as a national disaster. He urged the government to release adequate funds for mitigation. Chowdhury represents Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency in the Murshidabad district.

'Neo-refugees with many social problems': Congress MP

"Large chunks of fertile lands have been lost to the Ganga, which flows through the two minority-dominated districts, rendering lakhs of people homeless and making them "neo- refugees". They become landless and lose their livelihood. Sometimes, poverty leads to an increase in crimes. It creates neo-refugees with many social problems," the senior Congress leader told the Prime Minister in the letter. 

Chowdhary cited an example of the problems faced by the erosion-affected people and said a colony of such people from Malda has come up in Mumbai's Byculla area, where they are branded as Bangladeshi infiltrators as they have also lost their documents to the erosion.

"During the UPA regime, a large fund was sanctioned for the above issue. I request you to kindly release adequate funds to check the land erosion and protect the life and livelihood of the affected people," he said.

West Bengal riverbank erosion

Ganga flows through Malda before entering Murshidabad, where it splits into Bhagirathi that flows south through West Bengal and the Padma which flows east into Bangladesh. Every monsoon a large number of people are affected by riverbank erosion. 

Malda district

In the early decades of the twentieth century, the Ganges flowed in a south-easterly course between Rajmahal and Farakka, but later in the century, it formed a large meander to accommodate the additional water because of the barrage construction. Furthermore, nearly 64 crores tonnes of silt are accumulated annually on the river bed. All these lead to massive erosion of the left bank.

Murshidabad district

As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people reside along the banks of the Ganges alone in the Murshidabad district. Severe erosion occurs all along this bank. From a little above Nimtita, about 20 km downstream from Farakka, the Ganges flows along the international boundary with Bangladesh on the left bank. The following blocks have to face the brunt of erosion year after year, Between 1931 and 1977, 26,769 hectares have been eroded and many villages have been fully submerged.

(With PTI Inputs)

(Image Credits: PTI/ANI)