Rs 2.25 cr erosion protection plan for Bhagirathi banks
The Statesman | 2 August 2025
After the heavy rains paused for a bit, the district authorities began work to prevent further damage of the Bhagirathi riverbank in certain areas yesterday.
At Kishoreganj in Kalna’s Purbasthali – 1 block, cage-like bamboo structures and large boulder rocks are being used to protect the riverbank. The state irrigation department prepared a Rs 2.25 crore plan for this. The DM, East Burdwan, Ayesha Rani A recently visited the affected areas. The irrigation officials said that the unrelenting rains caused the delay in project execution.
The strong forces of downward water current eroded the Bhagirathi riverbank in several areas in Kalna further this monsoon. Besides the river’s own hydraulic actions, some geotechnical instabilities like the materials of the riverbank, mammoth deposition of sediments and unauthorised human activities like removal of vegetation, sand mining and illegal constructions caused collapse of the Bhagirathi riverbanks in certain vulnerable stretches both in Kalna and Katwa sub-divisions over the period.