Ratua(Malda): 

"Out here, we brace for the worst once the clouds turn dark and the skies open. The rumbling of waters sends a chill down the spine every year. I have seen houses, granaries, school buildings all swallowed by the gushing waters of the Ganga. We just remain mute spectators and wait for the inevitable," says Hemanta Mondal of Srikantatola village. Or, what is left of it.

The village falls under the jurisdiction of Mahanandatola Gram Panchayat in Ratua block of the district.

Till last year, there were some houses, and Srikantatola could be called a village. And then the rains came and with it, the waters of the Ganga swelled. This year, only ten houses stand in Srikantatola, staring at an impending watery grave.

The protracted issue of erosion along River Ganga never ceases to haunt hundreds of residents in West Bengal's Malda, who make the river's banks their dwellings. With the official time for the Monsoons barely three months away and the state government not taking any visible steps to mitigate their woes, the apprehensive residents of Srikantatola, Kantatola, Khaksabona, Bilaimari and adjoining areas are already on the move, shifting homes.

"If the situation remains the same, then by next year our village will also be gone," Hemanta stares hard at the calm waters of the Ganges. He knows it is just the lull before the storm.

State Irrigation minister Manas Bhuiyan had announced in the Assembly last week that a master plan will be prepared to prevent Ganga erosion in Malda and Murshidabad districts like the much talked about Ghatal Master Plan. But, the minister did not set out any timeline for implementation.

People on the banks are used to hearing such promises. "Might have been made as the elections are round next year. We know it is just lip service," says another resident of Srikantatola, referring to Bhuiyan’s announcement.

"Now is the time to work and take steps to prevent erosion. But, neither the central nor the state government is visible here. To whom should we appeal? During monsoons people from the media come first and take pictures. Once they leave and publish our woes, then the MLA, MP, DM, BDO all make a beeline. They all come, see the situation we are in and leave. Nothing changes," Hemanta says.

According to him, since 2011 the Ganga has entered 15-16 kilometers from the west. Villages like Janjalitola and Jamuntola have already been wiped out. For the past three years, the banks along Srikantatola, Kantatola, Khaksabona, and Bilaimari villages have been eroding steadily. Every year the river eats into more land.

As the river bank residents see what the swirling waters of the Ganges can do to their homes and other establishments, they silently resign to their fates and start packing well in advance. Ratua knows once the banks start breaking, there will be no time.

Motilal Mandal, another resident of Srikantatola says, "The dry season starts immediately after Diwali and goes on till the Monsoons come. This is the time when work should be done to secure and strengthen the embankments. The people of Mahananda Tola and Bilaimari Gram Panchayats of Ratua Block number 1 have been pleading with the authorities, but no one listens. Kantatola village is gone and now it is our turn. What choice do we have other than not leaving our homes? At least our lives will be saved. Staying here means marrying death in the Monsoons."

Sitting in the shade of the village's Shiva temple, Nikhil Mandal of Mulliramtola is afraid.

His crease deepens on his forehead.

"This temple will not remain. The river is now barely 25 metres from here. Mulliramtola Primary School is 50 metres away. The school will also go this time. The administration just gives us dates, but never arrives with equipment to secure the banks. Maybe they are waiting for the month of Shravan when the rains will be at its peak. It will be easy to show how caring they are when they come here in boats and in waterproof jackets. Maybe they will have some food packets for us this time,” Nikhil says.

Bengal’s minister of state for Irrigation and a MLA from Malda’s Mothabari Assembly constituency, Sabina Yasmin assures, "Erosion prevention work will be done during the dry season. The plan has already been prepared. The work will start in a few days."

The minister, however, prefers silence when asked about the time lost since October last year, when the dry spell started and which had been the best period to initiate works to prevent erosion.

The villages along the Ganges in Ratua have already started looking deserted. The packing is on to shift to an unknown land. People here don’t rely on promises anymore. They don’t believe the calm waters of Ganga either.

Deepak Kumar Mandal of Srikantatola is more critical. "Houses are getting swallowed by the river, let them vanish in waters. People are dying, let them die. And in the middle of all these, a section of politicians keep making money. Be that in the name of preventing erosion or distribution of relief during the rains. We keep hearing that work worth Rs 21 crore has been done here to prevent erosion. The truth is, only 21 sacks full of sand have been thrown in the river," he says.

A palpable sense of loss and dejection hangs heavy on the villages along the river in Ratua. Coupled with that are the failed promises.

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