Tidal River Management-Lower Bengal Delta
Prof. Dr. Dilip Kumar Datta
Summary of the Presentation
The contribution of the lower Bengal Delta to people’s livelihood and ecological balance is immense. However, the ecological backlash due to man-made barrier to control the tidal river flow and its mitigation by incorporating of Tidal River Management (TRM) is a device being implemented at grassroots level. Professor Dr. Dilip Kumar Datta demonstrated the scientific approach and nature based solution to restore tidal river flow and fragile floodplain ecology of the lower Bengal delta.
Water management has been a burning issue in the Bengal delta for a long time. The influx of million tons of sediments deposited into the floodplain and river bed play the significant role to floodplain ecology. At least 10% of the sediments are deposited in the lower Bengal delta as return flux due to tidal processes. However, due to polarization, the natural sediment distribution into the floodplain has been ceased and has invited prolonged waterlogging. The Tidal River Management (TRM) has emerged as a sustainable solution to restore and maintain the tidal river dynamics, and floodplain ecology at local scale. Through this process, the natural distribution of sediments is held on the floodplain, which helps to increase the depth of the riverbed and raise the height of the floodplain, as well as enhances the fish and several other aquatic species to thrive.
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