The State Science and Technology and Biotechnology department have collaborated with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to conduct a comprehensive study on factors influencing river migration. This initiative, funded by the department, involves a two-year project in partnership with the Regional Remote Sensing Centre–East. The study gains significance following tragic incidents in October 2022 and 2023, involving flash floods in Jalpaiguri’s Malbazar and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Sikkim’s Chungthang, causing significant loss of lives.
Under the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISRO, the project focuses on analyzing rivers in the Alluvial Gangetic Plain, Himalayan foothill region, and coastal plains. The study encompasses factors like climatic changes, neo-tectonic activities, anthropogenic impacts, and external influences contributing to river migration.
A senior department official highlighted the alarming changes in river migration, citing the example of the Jalangi River in Murshidabad, which has experienced water scarcity due to the primary course of the Ganga River shifting towards Bangladesh. The study aims to provide a detailed report to the Irrigation and Waterways and Disaster Management departments of the state government. The findings will guide effective measures against river migration-related challenges from a natural disaster perspective.
