Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: What if the chairs in the Millennium Park where you sit and breathe in the breeze, become a grave at the bottom of the Ganges like the Titanic after ten years? Or a launch is floating in the Dharmatala where you run and catch a bus! Can a disaster like Nepal befall Kolkata? Can Kolkata be swept away? The UN report is raising concerns. Time is very short! The report that has come to light about the rise in sea level is truly frightening. Along with Dhaka and Mumbai, there is also growing concern about Kolkata. The risk of losing homes, livelihoods, and above all, security in the future. The UN report has now predicted the destruction of about 15 million people.
However, the UN report predicts not only a rise in water levels, but also the subsidence of the low-lying areas of the Ganges-Bahmaputra delta. There have been indications of a comparable rise in water levels in Diamond Harbour.
What do the experts say?
According to environmentalist Soumendranath Ghosh, Kolkata will go under water in the next 25 years, i.e. by 2050. The water holding capacity of the Ganges has decreased due to excess silt. The barrages are also becoming useless. It has been 50-70 years. The efficiency has decreased to a large extent. The barrage releases water only when there is heavy rain. As a result, if the barrage is opened during heavy rain, and if there is a strong tidal wave in the Bay of Bengal at the same time, then Kolkata will be completely submerged.
The water level of Diamond Harbour will rise a lot. So will Khidirpur. Even then, the 25 years can be shortened and dragged out for another 2-4 years. But overall, the situation is such that Kolkata is facing danger..