Riverbank Erosion: A Human-Induced Process

This chapter is concerned with the quantum of anthropogenic interventions on the pace of bank erosion. The Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) is the massive hydraulic control over the lower Ganga system in the Bengal Delta. The chapter intends to deal with the altered hydrologic regime due to the construction of the FBP and its impact on bank erosion in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Moreover, changing land use and land cover, mushrooming of the brickfields, and other forms of human activities that induce bank erosion are scrutinized in detail. Special attention has been given to the flow fluctuation of the Ganga and Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers that has been augmented by the Indo-Bangladesh water-sharing treaties in the lean months (January to May) of the year. It is responsible for riverbank erosion in the stratified and sandy banks of the river. Frequent changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are observed in erosion-prone areas. The basin-scale and mouza-level analysis indicates that riverbank erosion-induced LULC dynamics are more prominent in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta compared to the American and European rivers. Moreover, an escalation in the brick kilns is found to be the triggering factor of bank erosion. Moreover, guide banks or bamboo fences across the river often tend to induce riverbank erosion. Finally, rapid movements of vessels along the waterways of Ganga, Bhagirathi-Hooghly, and Padma inducing bank erosion are also judged.