Lohachara Island

Lohachara Island was an islet which was permanently flooded in the 1980s. [ [http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=207343 Kolkata Newsline – 22 yrs after deluge, they fear more] October 31, 2006] It was located in the Hooghly River as part of the Sundarban delta in the Sundarban National Park, located near the Indian state of West Bengal. The definite disappearance of the island was reported by Indian researchers in December 2006 [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2099971.ece Disappearing world: Global warming claims tropical island] , The Independent, December 24, 2006.] , which lead to international press coverage.

The islet is one of a number of "vanishing islands" in India's part of the delta: in the past two decades, four islands – Bedford, Lohachara, Kabasgadi and Suparibhanga – have been permanently flooded and 6,000 families have been made homeless. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3102948.stm BBC - Fears rise for sinking Sundarbans] 15 September 2003] The loss of land has created thousands of refugees in the area.

There are multiple causes [ [http://in.news.yahoo.com/061030/48/68wfx.html The Indian Express – By 2020, 12 more Sunderban islands set to go under water] October 30, 2006] of the disappearances of islands in the delta, including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, cyclones (while the number of cyclones has decreased, their intensity has increased), [ [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061030/asp/knowhow/story_6929967.asp The Telegraph, Calcutta – Vanishing islands Displaced Climate casualties Underlying truth] October 30, 2006] mangrove destruction and coastal flooding.

In 1974 the Farakka Barrage began diverting water into the Hoogly River during its dry season.During each monsoon season almost all the Bengali delta is submerged, much of it for half a year. [Rivers of Life: Living with Floods in Bangladesh. M. Q. Zaman. Asian Survey, Vol. 33, No. 10 (Oct., 1993), pp. 985-996] The sediment of the lower delta plain is primarily advected inland by monsoonal coastal setup and cyclonic events. [ [http://www.springerlink.com/content/gk6ulad2cjuyp52l/ Modern sediment supply to the lower delta plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh] . September, 2001. Geo-Marine Letters, Volume 21, Number 2. doi|10.1007/s003670100069] One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea waters caused by subsidence (sinking) in the region. Residents have to be careful building on the river delta, as severe flooding sometimes occurs.

A 1990 study noted "There is no evidence that environmental degradation in the Himalayas or a 'greenhouse'-induced rise in sea level have aggravated floods in Bangladesh." [Floods in Bangladesh: II. Flood Mitigation and Environmental Aspects. H. Brammer. The Geographical Journal, Vol. 156, No. 2 (Jul., 1990), pp. 158-165. doi|10.2307/635323] However, a report by researchers at Jadavpur University in Calcutta released in December 2006 claimed that the disappearance of the islands was due to global warming. [ [http://www.forward.com/articles/the-tide-is-turning/ The Tide Is Turning] , The Forward, December 29, 2006.] Upstream dams can reduce fresh water supply. In many of the Indian mangrove wetlands, freshwater reaching the mangroves was considerably reduced from the late 19th century due to diversion of freshwater in the upstream area. Also the Bengal Basin is slowly tilting towards the east due to neo-tectonic movement. As a result, the salinity of Bangladesh Sunderbans is much lower than that of the Indian Sunderbans. [ [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/mar252003/757.pdf Environmental classification of mangrove wetlands of India] . V. Selvam. Current Science, Vol. 84, No. 6, 25 March 2003.]

Overall population of the Sundarbans has risen 200% to nearly 4.3 million. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3102948.stm BBC Fears rise for sinking Sundarbans] 15 September 2003]

Location: http://www.satelliteviews.net/cgi-bin/w.cgi?c=in&UF=387417&UN=484044&AF=T_L

ee also

* Ganges Delta
* Sundarbans

References