Posted on March 20, 2023
A more than two kilometre stretch of the river bank area from Guptipara Surya Mandir onwards in Balagarh in Hooghly district is undergoing a massive river bank erosion at an alarming rate.
Extensive loss of land area adjacent to the Hooghly river bank is taking place but the concerned department, while well aware of the alarming situation, has not taken any steps to check the alarming river bank erosion.
The Uppo Pradhan of Guptipara 1 no gram panchayat Mr Biswajit Nag, said that the Inland Waterways Authority of India has carried on dredging at their Santipur jetty but then allowed the removed sand to re-mix into the river flow a little further on, as a result a new sand bar have come into existence.
He said that the newly built-up sand bar in the Hooghly river at Guptipara has diverted the turbulent river water current towards the river bank, which is causing river bank erosion at an alarming rate along a stretch of two kilometres. Large stretches of agricultural land, the Guptipara – Santipur ferry jetty, crematorium, three brick kilns and close by human habitation are under great threat, he said.
The irrigation department and the Damodar Lower Division authorities have been intimated of the impending threat posed by the alarming rate of river bank erosion which may soon cause loss of life, property and establishments along the river bank ,but no steps have been yet taken by the concerned authorities, he said.
“On the panchayat’s part we are placing hundreds of sand bags to slow down the rate of erosion but all our efforts are in vain,” said Mr Biswajit Nag, the Upo Pradhan of Guptipara Panchayat.
