Brief reporting on Sonai River/Khal in ... - India Water Portal

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“In terms of my earlier references of documents it can also be said that while C.S. and R.S. maps are silent in respect of the existing of Sonai River/Khal, yet report of Major General, Director Eastern Circle, Survey of India dated 27/06/2001 (Annexure B/3) Work Order of Irrigation Department under the Government of West Bengal L.A. Cases for the acquisition of land for the purpose of excavation of Sonai Khal/River (Annexure E-Series) that there was also existence of Sonai Khal /River in the Natagarh Mouza under P.S. Khardah”. We are eagerly waiting to see whether the court’s firmness in this case can make any difference to Sonai’s proposed resuscitation and ecological health. 9 Offending parties : Both Government bodies and private individuals. It needs to be said here that authorities of Panihati Municipality is a prime offender which has mutated and sanctioned building plan on the water bodies of River Sonai. It has not even complied with the specific Order of Environment Bench of Calcutta High Court. 10 Construction of bridge over River Sonai in 2003. It need to be said here that cluster of houses standing on the very bed of River Sonai in Kalyannagar have been built even after the Green Bench Orders in 1997 and 1998. Despite High Court Orders banning such activities Panihati Municipality has mutated land reclaimed on Sonai and sanctioned building plan illegally. : In a recent decision the Panihati Municipal authority has sanctioned Rs.8.00 Lakhs for constructing a bridge over River Sonai at Kalyannagar – Bodhikanan area, Mouza Natagarh keeping clearance for flow of water. Construction of the bridge started in April/May 2003. Surprisingly water bodies of River Sonai at Ghola Natun Bazar, Bistubhadrer Mor, Natagarh and Panchanantala area – all under Panihati Municipality are being filled up continuously by municipal garbage and all sorts of waste materials for the last few years despite public protests/agitation and written submission to the authorities concerned. Such mindless and unethical destruction of river is being allowed to continue year after year. It may be noted here that there is a permanent injunction imposed by the Hon’ble High Court restricting / restraining all types of development work on the River and also by the side of River. Sonai – initially as a flowing river and later, as a string of water bodies – was a critical component of Sodepur’s natural drainage and rainwater run-off system, the town now faces severe water-logging with every mild shower.
11 SUSTAINING CALCUTTA PRESENT STATUS REPORT OF THE URBAN PEOPLES ENVIRONMENT E I P WORKING REPORT 5 Environmental Improvement Programme for Calcutta A CMDA FACILITY CALCUTTA METROPOLITAN WATER AND SANITATION AUTHORITY 12 Benefit for excavation / restoration of River Sonai : It may be mentioned here that the revival of River Sonai is essential to facilitate blocked drainage system of the area and to increase the availability of surface water to combat arsenic problem in drinking water because major part of the river falls under the jurisdiction of Barrackpore-II Block which is arsenic prone zone as mentioned in relevant Map of the Gazette of Public Health Engineering Department, Govt. of W.B., vide Sl. No. 51. 15.3 WETLAND FORMATION AND DISTRIBUTION The Calcutta Metropolitan Area in the lower Gangetic plain is more or less flat. The principal drainage line in the river Hugli. The river enters the Calcutta Metropolitan Area at Tribeni and leaves the region at Uluberia. At Tribeni, the river Sartaswati branches off to the west and the Jamuna to the east. The entire Calcutta Metropolitan Area is traversed by innumerable offshoots of the river Hugli. The north eastern part of the area comprises meander belts of the river forming large arcuate waterbodies like the Mathura, the Kulia, the Maricha and the Baisar bils. The drainage lines in the area are highly sluggish. Among the present day channels, the Hugli, the Jamuna and the Sunti are the more important ones. Some of the palaeo-channels can be traced in the region by their highly aggraded beds. They include the Adi Ganga, the Gouri Ganga, the Kana Damodar, the Sonai Nadi and the Bidyadhari river. Land is naturally higher along both the banks of the existing palaeo-channels. Away from the levees land slopes down till it reaches another river and rises. The : interdistributary marshes are numerous. The wetlands here have been formed by natural and anthropogenic causes and are scattered all over the region. There are numerous small tanks of the size of less than 5000 sq. metres on one hand and large wetlands of more than 16,000 ha. on the other. Generally depths of the wetlands are never more than 3 metres and most are much shallower. Fluvial action has been the chief cause of creation of the natural wetlands in this region. Man made water bodies found in the region are either for water supply or are borrow pits found along the highways, railways and in brickfields. Small tanks less than 5000 sq. metres in area are mostly dug by man and they can be identified on a map by their comparatively regular boundaries. Sonai once restored to life may be a significant source of income and livelihood for a vast number of fishermen, a useful sewage and detoxification of polluted water, a vital player in ground water recharge and discharge, in maintaining open space, and generating oxygen and recreation facilities and also in developing ferry service and in fulfilling irrigation needs.
Page 1 and 2: Brief repo
Page 3: 8 Serious efforts of local people f
Page 7 and 8: Law is born out of social, economic
Page 9 and 10: West Bengal October 16 2001 Sonai w
Page 11 and 12: FOREWORD ……………………
Page 13: Discussion held between Dr. U. N. B

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