Kolkata, Jan 17 (IANS): A team of experts from the River Research Institute (RRI) will visit West Bengal next month to study the impact of the change in the trajectory of Teesta river because of the recent flash-floods in Sikkim that caused heavy disaster both in the plains and the hills of North Bengal.
A communication has already been sent to the West Bengal government, and the state irrigation department has been advised to extend full cooperation to the visiting team of RRI experts so that they can complete their study assignment successfully.
Sources in the state irrigation department said that the route of the study of Teesta river's trajectory change will start from Sevoke near Siliguri and continue towards the water body's entry point in neighbouring Bangladesh.
"From the study, the team of experts would be able to give us an idea of whether the changes in the trajectory of Teesta river will be permanent in nature or not. The study will also enable us to have a rough idea on whether there are further possibilities of trajectory changes in the near future or not," said a senior official of the state irrigation department.
He also said the findings will be important for the department in assessing the precautions to be taken at the time when the water level of the river will start rising again in the later part of the year.
The last changes in the trajectory of Teesta are evident from the satellite pictures. This is the fifth time that Teesta, which flows through the two states of Sikkim and West Bengal, as well as the two countries of India and Bangladesh, has changed its trajectory.
There is a growing apprehension that frequent changes in trajectory might impact the economic structure of the hills and plains in north Bengal to a great extent in the coming days.
As per the satellite pictures, the trajectory of the river has changed at multiple places both in the hills and the plains in north Bengal. This last change in trajectory is because of the resistance that the flowing river water faced both because of the heavy stone blocks carried down from the hills during the flash floods as well as the massive silt accumulated in areas after the flood water receded.