Morphological changes in Ganga impeding nourishment of Sundarbans: Centre

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The Centre has acknowledged that changes in the morphology of the Ganga River have impeded the nourishment of the Sundarbans delta, particularly affecting its Indian portion.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said erosion and deposition are natural geomorphic processes in all alluvial rivers like the Ganga and Hooghly, shaped by geological, hydrological and climatic factors.

"Rivers tend to maintain a balance between the silt load carried and silt load deposited, maintaining a river regime," he said in a written response.

The minister said the Sundarbans delta, shared between India and Bangladesh and located in the lower end of Gangetic West Bengal, has been impacted by morphological changes in the Ganga/Padma and Bhagirathi/Hooghly river systems, especially downstream of the Farakka barrage.

These changes have "reportedly impeded the nourishment of the Indian portion of Sundarbans in terms of sediment-laden fresh water from the uplands mainly during the dry season," he said.

Citing a study carried out by the Central Water Commission (CWC) through IIT Kharagpur, Choudhary said remote sensing analysis of the Hooghly River between 1972 and 2010 revealed massive shifts.

The study found 9,165 hectares eroded and 9,293 hectares deposited on the left bank, and 10,702 hectares eroded with 11,530 hectares deposited on the right bank of the river. PTI UZM VN VN