Historical and geo-environmental appraisal of changing growth centre, urbanization and behavioural dynamics of the rivers of barddhaman town, West bengal

Rivers play a vital role in the life of human beings as they supply drinking water, irrigation water and provide cheap means of transport. Due to these advantages, prosperous civilizations, big market centres as well as small settlement sites have developed along the riverbanks since historical past. In accordance with past and modern trend evolution of Barddhaman town (West Bengal), the rivers and streams had changed their surface expression in relation to recurrent floods. Historical development and changing growth centres of Barddhaman town are to be found very much related with the shifting courses of rivers (e.g. Damodar, Banka, Balluka, Sapjala etc.) and their temporal degradation. Though the glimpses of some rivers are demolished by urbanization within the Municipality area (except Banka), some patches of wetlands, ponds and ‘Nalas’ (literally, surface drains) are carrying out the former existences of sinuous linearity of those rivers. This article is an integrated draft to focus on the present existence of rivers, role of rivers, in settlement growth its successive decays and associated problems in the course of temporal expansion and development of human civilization.