Ichhamati River and Jalangi River

The Government of West Bengal has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with German federal enterprise Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the State Mission for Clean Ganga (SMCG) to undertake integrated development and restoration of the Ichhamati and Jalangi river basins.

The initiative aims to address ecological degradation and strengthen sustainable water management in the upper Ganga delta region of the state.

Strategic Importance of the River Systems

Both the Ichhamati River and the Jalangi River are vital transboundary waterways shared between India and Bangladesh.

They serve multiple ecological and economic functions:

• Irrigation and agriculture support
• Fisheries and local livelihoods
• Biodiversity sustenance
• Sediment supply critical to the Sundarbans delta

About the Ichhamati River

• The Ichhamati flows approximately 200 km between West Bengal and Bangladesh.
• It forms a natural boundary between the two countries for a significant stretch.
• It is a key contributor of silt and sediments to the Sundarbans delta ecosystem.

However, the river faces threats from siltation, reduced freshwater flow, pollution, and encroachment.

About the Jalangi River

• The Jalangi is a distributary of the Ganga, branching off before the river enters Bangladesh as the Padma.
• It flows through Murshidabad and Nadia districts.
• It eventually merges with the Bhagirathi–Hooghly River, the main distributary of the Ganga in West Bengal.

Source: DTE