Measuring Hazard Vulnerability by Bank Erosion of the Ganga River in Malda District Using PAR Model

River banks are characterised by dynamic environments that change in response to a variety of inputs. Bank erosion ordinarily means losses of bank materials and individual particles or aggregates by fluvial, sub-aerial and geo-tectonic processes. It is a common phenomenon of geomorphic hazard associated with flood plains and meandering or braided river system. The problem of bank erosion and shifting of the course of the river Ganga in certain C.D. blocks of Malda District is not purely an environment-related problem but a unique combination of both environment and ‘development’ project. The objective of the present paper is to measure the vulnerability of the villages that are situated adjacent to the Ganga River. Data was obtained from both primary as well as secondary sources. The primary data was collected through observation method and through informal interviews with the affected people. Secondary information was obtained from various research works encountered during the study. The study was framed on the lines of Pressure and Release (PAR) model developed by Wisner, Blaikie, Cannon and Davis (1994 & 2003). The inhabitants of these villages are facing serious problems related to employment, health, education, sanitation, drinking water supply and market due to the river bank erosion. In some areas people suffer from the irony of dual citizenship. No remedial measures are seriously taken by concerned authorities to solve this problem. Thus, it is incumbent on the part of the government and NGOs to devise corrective mechanism to curb the threat to the existence of the affected people as well as to improve their quality of life.