Biswabrata Goswami
KOLKATA, 1 OCT: In the heart of Bengal, where rivers weave their stories through the land, lies Ghatal, a region that has witnessed the ebb and flow of history, quite literally. For generations, the people of Ghatal have grappled with an unrelenting foe: the annual monsoon floods. While the political landscape of Bengal has shifted hues over the years, from green to red and back to green, Ghatal has remained trapped in a cycle of inundation, despair, and unfulfilled promises.
The saga began in 1959 when the Congress government, driven by the dire need to alleviate the suffering of Ghatal’s residents, formulated the Ghatal Master Plan. Envisioned as a solution to control the perennial floods, it took two decades for the plan to secure approval from the Central Planning Commission. In 1990, with approval finally in hand, the project was initiated, only to be abruptly shelved shortly after by the then Left Government.
In 2006, a glimmer of hope appeared when the project resurfaced, accompanied by an allocation of Rs 900 crore, a substantial increase from the initial budget of Rs 50 crore set in 1982. However, bureaucratic inertia and political apathy consigned the project to oblivion once again. Despite a brief revival in 2009, when an agency under the Central Government commenced work and raised Rs 1740 crore, the plan remained ensnared in red tape.
The turning point came in 2015 when the Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFC) finally gave clearance to the project, recommending a sanction of approximately 1215 crore rupees. In 2022, the project found its place in the Flood Management and Border Area Programme at the national level. Yet, even with these significant steps forward, the crucial allocation of funds remained elusive, bogged down by political pressures and bureaucratic hurdles.
The people of Ghatal, weary from decades of broken promises, regard the mention of the Ghatal Master Plan with a mix of anger and despondency. While they understand that the plan might not be a panacea, they hope it will, at the very least, ameliorate their plight. Behind Ghatal’s annual submergence lies a complex interplay of neotectonic effects and geographical factors in the Bengal basin. Rivers originating from the Chotanagpur Plateau, such as Shilavati, Kansavati, and Dwarkeshwar, have dramatically altered the slope of the Bhagirathi Hooghly river, leading to a proliferation of branches and narrower river channels.
The Shilavati River, a lifeline for Ghatal, has seen its water holding capacity dwindle due to siltation, exacerbating the region’s vulnerability to floods. The consequences have been devastating – acres of land, crops, homes, and roads washed away, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Ghatal has faced catastrophic floods in 1888, 1913, 1922, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1978, 1984, 1995, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2021. Each time, the area, spanning 250-700 square kilometers, submerged under 2-3 meters of floodwater, transforming the landscape into an unrecognizable expanse of water and sky.
While the Ghatal Master Plan might not promise an end to these floods, it offers a glimmer of hope. If implemented, it could mitigate the suffering of displaced communities, strengthen river embankments, and reduce the intensity of the floods. The renovation and dam construction of Kansavati and Shilavati rivers are seen as crucial steps to minimize the damage caused by the monsoon deluge.
As Ghatal waits in limbo, its residents, resilient in the face of adversity, continue their fight against the annual deluge, hoping that one day, the promises etched in the Ghatal Master Plan will turn into a reality, providing them the respite they so desperately seek. Until then, Ghatal remains a stark reminder of the challenges faced by communities caught in the crosscurrents of political indecision and the unyielding force of nature.
Tags: #GhatalMasterPlan #Deluge #ShilavatiRiver #Midnapore