State to use excavated soil from River Muri Ganga to repair embankments

KOLKATA: The state Irrigation department will use the excavated soil from Muri Ganga river for repairing damaged embankments in the vulnerable belt in Sunderbans and Sagar in South 24-Parganas.

The Irrigation department has already completed dredging of Muri Ganga river ahead of the Gangasagar Mela to be inaugurated on Tuesday and has lifted 5 lakh cubic metre of soil.

“The excavated soil has been kept in an enclosure made out of dykes in Muri Ganga channel close to the jetties of the river. The district administration will e-auction a part of the excavated soil while the rest will be used by us for the repair of the embankments. It has been found that after keeping the excavated soil for some months post-lifting, the moisture in the soil dries up and then compaction becomes easier. So embankments constructed by using this excavated soil are more strong and durable,” a senior official of state Irrigation department said.

In 2021, before the Gangasagar Mela, 2.5 lakh cubic metre of soil was lifted after dredging was carried out in River Muri Ganga. Embankment in Bankimnagar in South 24-Parganas that was damaged due to spring tide (bhora kotal) in July was repaired using the excavated soil.

Six dredgers were used this time for dredging of around a 4 km stretch in Muri Ganga for smooth passage of the pilgrims’ vessels during

Gangasagar Mela.

The dredging of Muri Ganga was carried out by the Dredging Corporation of India against payment by the state government. But this year, for the first time, the Irrigation department did the work and has been successful in lifting double the soil in comparison to last year.

“With Covid situation improving and no Kumbh Mela, we are expecting a huge turnout of pilgrims at Gangasagar this year. We are taking all possible measures to ensure that the pilgrims are not inconvenienced by any means to reach the Sagar islands,” a senior official of the district administration said.