Assessing Riverbank Erosion and its Vulnerability Management of Livelihood: A Case Study of River Bhagirathi-Hugli near Purbasthali and Agradwip Block

Chaitali Pal; Tuhin Roy

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.71908

Assessing Riverbank Erosion and its Vulnerability Management of Livelihood: A Case Study of River Bhagirathi-Hugli near Purbasthali and Agradwip Block

Author(s)	Ms. Chaitali Pal, Dr. Tuhin Roy
Country	India
Abstract	River erosion is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable natural hazards to riparian communities worldwide. The Bhagirathi-Hugli River, which is an affluent of the Ganga, has undergone massive geomorphological modifications over the last few decades, especially after the Farakka Barrage in 1975. The proposed research explores the spatiotemporal change of the bank erosion and channel shifting of a 45-kilometre section of the Bhagirathi-Hugli River between the Katwa and Purbasthali blocks in West Bengal, India, over 30 years (1990-2020). The patterns of erosion and accretion, the rate of meandering, and the process of formation of the oxbow lakes were measured, which have undergone significant geomorphological changes over the last few decades, especially after the construction of temporal satellite images combined with Geographic Information System (GIS) and verified with the help of large field surveys. The findings indicate that the channel is largely unstable, with the maximum left bank deposition at Agradwip and the right bank deposition in the same location. During the study period, three oxbow lakes formed, and two additional meander cutoffs are predicted to occur in the next 10-15 years. The study also investigates the trickle-down effects of bank erosion on agricultural livelihood, settlement patterns, and socio-economic susceptibility of the affected communities. Results show that the hydrological changes achieved by the Farakka Barrage have significantly altered the river's natural balance, affecting discharge, competence, and sediment load, leading to faster meander migration and bank erosion. The research has been significant to the literature on fluvial geomorphology by offering quantitative data on channel changes after the barrage and also gives practical advice on integrated river basin management and livelihood adaptation measures in the erosive-prone riparian areas.
Keywords	River Bank Erosion, Channel Migration, Livelihood Vulnerability, Remote Sensing, Oxbow Lake.
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-03-19
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.71908

View / Download PDF File

E-ISSN 2582-2160

doi

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads

Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2 Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 1 Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 6

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Assessing Riverbank Erosion and its Vulnerability Management of Livelihood: A Case Study of River Bhagirathi-Hugli near Purbasthali and Agradwip Block

Share this