Calcutta University Readership Lectures. Rivers of the Bengal Delta

Specially in Bengal, of which the major portion is deltaic, having regard to the seriousness and complexities of the river problems which, as I shall try to explain in the course of my lectures, have arisen partly due to changes in the course of some of the major rivers and partly due to human interference with the natural process in the building up of the delta, river conservancy should be given [...] "The President of the Commission became the executive officer of the Commission reporting directly to the Chief of Engineers and responsible to him for the perosecution of the work. " 33. [...] It will be seen from the above that in addition to representatives from Provinces and States and other bodies such as the Railways, and Steamer Companies who are vitally interested in- the conservancy of the Ganges river system there should be a representative of the Government of India in the Commission, independent of and in a position to reconcile the view points of the . sectional interests. [...] So long as the banks of these rivers within tidal limits are below high tide level and the rivers are free to spill, the silt laden tides perform exactly the same function as the upland flood carriers, viz. , raising of the delta already built, with this difference that while the latter function only during the actual floods in the monsoon the beneficent activity of the tides continues throughOut t [...] As mentioned above, the depth of silt deposit by upland floods or by the tides carried up these rivers, is the maximum close to the river banks, where the velocity, which determines the proportion of silt that can be carried, is first checked, and as the spilling pro- ceeds away from the river banks, the silt content of the spilled water and consequently the depth of silt deposit is less and less.