IAG Video Contest – winner January-March 2025
The winner of the IAG Video Contest for the period January-March 2025 is Sayantan Das (India)! Find below his video and descriptive text.
If you want to participate in the contest, find the rules, guidelines and details on the procedure here.
Bank Erosion and River Merging: The Bhagirathi-Babla Confluence Shift, West Bengal, India
by Sayantan Das, India
The Bhagirathi and Babla Rivers in the Ganga Delta, West Bengal, India, have undergone significant morphological changes due to lateral erosion. Persistent bank erosion — on the right bank of Bhagirathi and the left bank of Babla — led to the eventual merging of their channels. This confluence shift, occurring 4.5 km upstream from the original junction, resulted in the isolation of Nutangram village from the mainland. The process culminated in October 2021, during the late monsoon, when continuous bank failure triggered the final breach. The hydrodynamic forces, coupled with seasonal high flows, facilitated this channel adjustment. Such geomorphological changes highlight the dynamic nature of river systems in the Ganga Delta, emphasizing the role of monsoonal discharge and sediment transport in modifying river courses.