Irrigation Department Head Engineer Visits Mukti Gram

Chief Engineer of West Bengal Irrigation Department, Mr. Sumanta Chatterjee, visited Mukti Gram, Purba Sridharpur, on 11th February to witness various activities of Mukti, in particular, the efforts to save the river embankments. He, along with two colleagues, was escorted by Mr. Sankar Halder, the Founder President of Mukti, and other project coordinators. The Mukti team explained Mukti’s plans in detail for conserving the river embankments of Purba Sridharpur and Damkal villages.

Mr. Halder described the three-layer plantation design to conserve the river embankment without harming the ecosystem. According to this design, Mukti has planted mangroves and Vetiver grass at the base of the river-side slope of the embankment. The dense mangrove forest will withstand storm surges and the hedge of the Vetiver grass will reduce soil erosion. On the land-side slope of the river embankment, Mukti has planted dragon fruit, coconut, and various fruit and flower plants. Besides protecting and beautifying the environment, these trees are also acting as livelihood support for the villagers.

Mr. Chatterjee expressed his satisfaction with the activities and plans. He assured the support of the Government so that Mukti can continue the plantation drive on a large scale for saving the Sundarbans.