Fishermen, farmers & students to join hands for 3-day campaign to 'save Mathabhanga-Churni Rivers'

Kolkata: In a unique initiative, fishermen, farmers, students and members of various social and environmental organisations will join hands to kick start a three-day "Save Mathabhanga-Churni Rivers" campaign, starting from October 2.

Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum (DMF) and Save Mathabhanga-Churni River Committee have come up with the idea to save the Mathabhanga and Churni Rivers from pollution. The two rivers are great natural assets for the people in Nadia and other regions. The rivers not only help in irrigation but also provide livelihood to thousands of fishermen.

Both the rivers have been affected due to pollution. The bio-diversity has also been hampered. Various varieties of fish which were earlier found in the rivers, have now disappeared.

A cycle rally would be taken out in which fishermen, students and members of the civic society will take part. National Platform for Inland Small Scale Fish Workers, orgnisations working on environment ~ Disha, Sabuj Mancha, Chakdaha Bignyan O Sanskritik Sanstha, Dattafulia Shreema Mahila Samity and many others have supported the campaign.

The Cycle Rally will start from Gede at the border areas of Bangladesh, from where Mathabhanga enters Bengal and will end up at Ranaghat where Churni River meets Bhagirathi River.

DMF has alleged that a distillery and a sugar factory of Bangladesh release their untreated effluents into Mathabhanga River, while Ranaghat Municipality dumps all its solid waste and waste water in Churni River. It was also alleged that dams have been erected across the rivers by unscrupulous persons.

A case has been lodged with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), resulting in several directions, including that of taking up the issue with Bangladesh authorities. An order has been issued to clear obstructions from the rivers.

Mathabhanga is a tributary of River Padma, originating from Munshiganj in the Kushtia district of Bangladesh. It flows first in a southeast direction as far as Hatboalia in Bangladesh, where it bifurcates. One stream continues with the name Mathabhanga. After passing Chuadanga and the bordering area of Bangladesh for a few kilometers, it then reaches Majdia in India where another bifurcation takes place, thus creating Churni and Ichamati.