The area of the Greater Kolkata is 1460 sq. km. Its population is more than 1.5 crores. Area wise, it is 1.6% of West Bengal but 19% of the total population of West Bengal lives in this city. According to a report of World Wide Fund(WWF) , Kolkata and its surrounding area is facing a grave danger. Kolkata is being lowered by 2 mm every year and the Ganges River Basin and Hooghly Delta is being lowered by 0.6-1.9 mm. If this trend continues, Kolkata and its surrounding area will be under water in coming years. The main culprit is the withdrawal of huge amount of underground water in Kolkata and its subarbs. As a result, water level is being lowered dangerously. It not only increases the chance of draught, but the possibility of invasion of salty water is also on the rise. The worst aspect is the disaster management planning and infrastructure of Kolkata is very poor. Deforestation of mangrove in Sundarban is adding concern as mangrove forest is one of the natural means to protect against cyclone or tsunami.
Are there minimum awareness amongst the citizens regarding the grave danger? The picture is not at all encouraging!
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