Tripartite river management project between West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand in the works: West Bengal Minister
'A coordination meeting was held between Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and the Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC) in Patna on July 24 this year. GFCC estimated that the brunt of the river lies 80% on West Bengal, 15% on Jharkhand and the rest on Bihar. They asked the three States to submit Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for erosion abatement. West Bengal is ready,' Mr Bhunia said on Thursday.
He added that West Bengal has planned a project worth ₹610 crores, particularly in the Malda and Murshidabad districts, through which the Ganga enters West Bengal and takes a southward turn to the Bay of Bengal as the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River.
'The Ganga flows down from north India, passes through Bihar and Jharkhand, and slams against the Ratua 1 block of Katahadiara in Malda district with heavy flow and momentum. The land here is getting increasingly engulfed by the river. The lives and livelihoods of people are threatened,' Mr Bhunia said.
The Minister explained that the proposed project would include measures for erosion abatement, flood management, dredging, and strengthening of the embankment, and aims to start with bank protection work and building five spurs in a 5 km stretch in Ratua from December this year.
'The idea is to control the velocity and momentum of the Ganga by draining out some portion of the river from the more vulnerable left bank in Bihar and West Bengal, to the more stable right bank towards Jharkhand, and reduce its impact particularly on Ratua block,' Mr Bhunia said.
He added that the GFCC advised Jharkhand and Bihar to accord West Bengal 'no objection' to carry out dredging in a 15 km area in Jharkhand's Sakrigali.
West Bengal losing land
According to the Irrigation Minister, the problem of extreme river erosion and flooding in this State has existed since India's independence, with around 3,394.8 hectares of land in West Bengal being engulfed by the Ganga between 2005 and 2024.
'The entire stretch of river spanning 163.5 km through Malda, Murshidabad, and Nadia districts is very prone to erosion. The abatement of river erosion cannot be handled by West Bengal alone. It is a national problem,' Mr Bhunia said.
The West Bengal government carried out anti-erosion work in Malda and Murshidabad earlier, with six different activities ongoing for a total length of 6.83 km for ₹58.77 crores.
The Chief Minister had earlier written to the Prime Minister in 2022 about the severe extent of erosion, particularly in Malda's Manikchak block.
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