Gautam Kumar Das – författare

This book is the result of comprehensive research work on the various aspects of the West Bengal coast including the world’s largest riverine delta system, the Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta.  The role of various hydrodynamic factors in shaping the coastal configuration and physicochemical parameters of coastal waters, soils, and granulometry of beach sands are extensively discussed. The coasts of the Indian peninsula, particularly the east coast, are subjected to severe cyclones, tidal bores, storm surges, and strong drift, which changes the coastal configuration as well as the quality of waters and the fertility of soils. A systematic description of major cyclones and their effects on coastal areas are described in detail. The book offers comprehensive information on the prevailing ecological conditions and lush green mangrove forests with wide-ranging flora and fauna of Sundarbans. UNESCO has declared Sundarbans as one of the world’s heritage sites, and as in other parts of the world, some of the coastal areas in West Bengal have attracted the attention of many tourists. Various steps undertaken by the government for coastal zone management and sustainable development of the coastal areas have been highlighted in the book.

This book will be of interest to students and researchers of the coastal environment.

The book explains the basic concepts of river water quality index, river environments, shifting of river courses, dams and barrages – their merits and demerits, mutual interdependence of river and society etc. in the typical geomorphic set up of West Bengal. In India, West Bengal is a riverine state due to the towering Himalayas to the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south. In between the mountain and sea, due to the location of the Gangetic delta region and its stability with space and time, the rivers of this state are gradually dying. In addition to the stability of the delta, the river channel is being filled with sediments carried along the river course from upstream. The role of dams, barrages and reservoirs in the normal flow of rivers at different geographical locations deserves discussion which is included in the book. It is to be expected that the rivers of West Bengal can be an outstanding example of mutual interdependence of science and society, all of which are included in the book.

The use of different physicochemical parameters adopted for the water quality index of different rivers described in this book will provide new directions in this regard. With discussions like water quality index, river environments, shifting of river courses, reservoirs, dams and barrages, and mutual interdependence of river and society, it is the intention that this book, River Systems of West Bengal - Water and Environments, will be useful for the research and higher studies in the river related field. 

This book will be of interest to students and researchers of riverine environments.

This book is the outcome of rigorous and continuous research work done by the author over about three decades on the open ecosystem and dynamic environment of the estuarine Sunderbans. The objective of this work is to identify the field and factors changing gradually upon this active delta over the years, decades and centuries. The deltaic Sunderbans yet not mature enough, has been changing in its natural course with time. Further, anthropogenic interferences disturb the environments and accelerate degradation of nature of this fragile ecosystem simultaneously. Roles played by almost all the agents including man and environment and their involvement are identified for the changing environmental scenario of the Sunderbans.

The book is befitted for the researchers and students for the post graduate levels.

The Sunderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering parts of Bangladesh and the southern tip of Indian state of West Bengal, is a part of world''s largest deltaic plain of fluvio-marine deposit formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world, conspicuous for its great size and biodiversity. With an enormous network of channels and creeks, tidal inundation twice daily, Sunderbans mangroves wetland is a dynamic and complex ecosystem, which undergoes continuous processes of erosion and accretion. Natural processes like changes in local hydrology, sediment motion under wind, wave and tidal action, beach dynamics, regional and global processes like sea level rise as well as the impact of human interference in the form of reclamation of forest land, changes in land use patterns, coastal urbanizations etc are the lead factors for the changes in the environmental scenario of Sunderbans.