Editing Ganges Delta

{{Short description|Delta of the Ganges River}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2011}}
[[File:Ganges Delta ESA22274217.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.2|Ganges Delta, 2020 satellite photograph]]

The '''Ganges Delta''' (also known the '''Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta''', the '''Sundarbans Delta''' or the '''Bengal Delta'''<ref name=BengalDelta/>) is a [[river delta]] predominantly covering the [[Bengal region]] of the [[Indian subcontinent]], consisting of [[Bangladesh]] and the [[India]]n state of [[West Bengal]]. It is the world's largest river delta<ref>{{cite news |author1=Seth Mydans |title=Life in Bangladesh Delta: On the Edge of Disaster |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/21/world/life-in-bangladesh-delta-on-the-edge-of-disaster.html |work=The New York Times |date=21 June 1987 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171104181307/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/21/world/life-in-bangladesh-delta-on-the-edge-of-disaster.html |archive-date=4 November 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-is-the-largest-delta-in-the-world.html|title=Where Is The Largest Delta In The World?|website=WorldAtlas|date=25 April 2017 }}</ref> and it empties into the [[Bay of Bengal]] with the combined waters of several [[river system]]s, mainly those of the [[Brahmaputra River]] and the [[Ganges River]]. It is also one of the most fertile regions in the world, thus earning the nickname the ''Green Delta''. The delta stretches from the [[Hooghly River]] in the west as far as the [[Meghna River]] in the east.

==Geography==
[[Image:SunderbanFarmHouse.JPG|thumb|A typical landscape in the delta with palms, rice, flat, green and ponds]]
[[File:The delta of Ganges by J. Rennel.jpg|thumb|Delta of Ganges from the map of surveyor [[James Rennell]] (1778)]]
The Ganges Delta has the shape of a triangle and is considered to be "arcuate" (arc-shaped). It covers more than {{convert|105000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and lies mostly in Bangladesh and India, with rivers from [[Bhutan]], [[Tibet]], and [[Nepal]] draining into it from the north. 67% of the delta is inside Bangladesh and only 33% belongs to West Bengal. Most of the delta is composed of [[alluvial]] soils made up by small sediment particles that finally settle down as river currents slowdown in the estuary. Rivers carry these fine particles with them, even from their sources at glaciers as [[fluvio-glacial]]. Red and red-yellow [[laterite]] soils are found as one heads farther east. The soil has large amounts of minerals and nutrients, which is good for agriculture.

It is composed of a labyrinth of [[Channel (geography)|channels]], [[swamp]]s, lakes, and flood plain sediments (chars). The [[Gorai-Madhumati River]], one of the distributaries of the Ganges, divides the Ganges Delta into two parts: the geologically young, active, eastern delta, and the older, less active, western delta.<ref name=BengalDelta>{{cite book |last1=Chowdhury |first1=Sifatul Quader |last2=Hassan |first2=M Qumrul |year=2012 |chapter=Bengal Delta |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bengal_Delta |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

==Population==
Around 280 million (180 million Bangladesh and 100 million West Bengal, India) people live on the delta,{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} despite risks from floods caused by [[Monsoon of South Asia|monsoons]], heavy run-off from the melting snows of the [[Himalayas]], and [[North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone]]s. A large part of the nation of [[Bangladesh]] lies in the Ganges Delta; many of the country's people depend on the delta for survival.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=39|ps=: "Many of [Bangladesh's] people depend on the delta for their survival. Two-thirds of Bangladeshis work in agriculture and grow crops on the fertile delta floodplains. Jute fiber, used to make twine and sacking, is Bangladesh's main export crop. Tea, wheat, rice, beans, sugarcane, and fruits are grown."}}

It is believed that upwards of 300 million people are supported by the Ganges Delta; approximately 400&nbsp;million people live in the [[Ganges|Ganges River]] Basin, making it the most populous river basin in the world. Most of the Ganges Delta has a population density greater than 200/km<sup>2</sup> (520 people per square mile),{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}} making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world.

==Wildlife==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2013}}
[[Image:Panthera tigris.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bengal tiger]]]]
Three [[terrestrial ecoregion]]s cover the delta. The [[Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests]] ecoregion covers most of the delta region, although the forests have mostly been cleared for agriculture and only small enclaves remain. Thick stands of tall grass, known as canebrakes, grow in wetter areas. The [[Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests]] ecoregion lies closer to the Bay of Bengal; this ecoregion is flooded with slightly [[brackish]] water during the dry season, and fresh water during the monsoon season. These forests, too, have been almost completely converted to intensive agriculture, with only {{convert|130|km2|sqmi}} of the  {{convert|14600|km2|sqmi}} protected. Where the delta meets the Bay of Bengal, [[Sundarbans mangroves]] form the world's largest [[mangrove]] ecoregion, covering an area of {{convert|20400|km2|sqmi}} in a chain of 54 islands. They derive their name from the predominant mangrove species, ''[[Heritiera]] fomes'', which are known locally as ''sundri'' or ''sundari''.

Animals in the delta include the Indian python (''[[Python molurus]]''), clouded leopard (''[[Neofelis nebulosa]]''), [[Indian elephant]] (''Elephas maximus indicus'') and [[crocodile]]s, which live in the Sundarbans. Approximately 1,020 endangered [[Bengal tiger]]s (''Panthera tigris tigris'') are believed to inhabit the Sundarbans. The Ganges–Brahmaputra basin has tropical deciduous forests that yield valuable timber: [[Shorea robusta|sal]], [[teak]], and [[peepal]] trees are found in these areas.

It is estimated that 30,000 [[chital]] (''Axis axis'') are in the Sundarbans part of the delta. Birds found in the delta include [[kingfisher]]s, [[eagle]]s, [[woodpecker]]s, the shalik (''[[common myna|Acridotheres tristis]]''), the [[swamp francolin]] (''Francolinus gularis''), and the doel (''[[Oriental magpie robin|Copsychus saularis]]''). Two species of dolphin can be found in the delta: the [[Irrawaddy dolphin]] (''Orcaella brevirostris'') and the [[Ganges and Indus river dolphin|Ganges river dolphin]] (''Platanista gangetica gangetica''). The Irrawaddy dolphin is an [[oceanic dolphin]] which enters the delta from the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges river dolphin is a true [[river dolphin]], but is extremely rare and considered [[endangered]].

Trees found in the delta include [[Heritiera littoralis|sundari]], garjan (''[[Rhizophora]]'' spp.), [[bamboo]], mangrove palm (''[[Nypa fruticans]]''), and mangrove date palm (''[[Phoenix paludosa]]'').

==Geology==
The Ganges Delta lies at the junction of three tectonic plates: the [[Indian Plate]], the [[Eurasian Plate]], and the [[Burma Plate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.banglapire.org/Research/tectonics-geophysics |title=Tectonics & Geophysics |website=BanglaPIRE |access-date=13 June 2017 |quote=The Ganges Brahmaputra Delta lies at the junction of three plates: the Indian Plate, the Eurasian Plate and the Burma Platelet. |archive-date=17 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617043150/http://www.banglapire.org/Research/tectonics-geophysics |url-status=dead }}</ref> The edge of the [[Eocene]] paleoshelf runs approximately from [[Kolkata]] to the edge of the [[Shillong Plateau]]. The edge of the paleoshelf marks the transition from the thick continental crust in the northwest to the thin continental or oceanic crust in the southeast. The enormous sediment supply from the Himalayan collision has extended the delta about {{convert|400|km}} seaward since the [[Eocene]]. The sediment thickness southeast of the edge of the paleoshelf beneath the Ganges Delta can exceed {{convert|16|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Steckler |first1=Michael S. |last2=Humayun |first2=S. Akhter |last3=Seeber |first3=Leonardo |date=15 September 2008 |title=Collision of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta with the Burma Arc |url=https://univdhaka.academia.edu/SyedHumayunAkhter/Papers/274196/Collision_of_the_Ganges-Brahmaputra_Delta_with_the_Burma_Arc |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |publisher=Elsevier |volume=273 |issue=3–4 |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.009 |access-date=22 April 2013 |quote=The edge of the pre-delta Eocene paleoshelf is marked by the shallow-water Sylhet Limestone, which runs NNE from near Calcutta to the edge of the Shillong Plateau ... The Sylhet Limestone drops ... indicating the presence of thick continental crust. East of the hinge zone the great thickness of sediments indicates that the crust is greatly thinned or oceanic ... The enormous supply of sediments provided by the Himalayan collision fed the [Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD)] and has produced ~400 km of progradation of the shelf edge since the Eocene ... Total sediment thickness beneath the GBD southeast of the hinge zone exceeds 16 km.}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:CowShed.JPG|thumb|Rice, cattle and fishing in rivers and ponds are important sources of food.]]
Approximately two-thirds of the Bangladesh people work in agriculture and grow crops on the fertile floodplains of the delta. The major crops that are grown in the Ganges Delta are [[jute]], tea, and rice.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=39|ps=: "Many of [Bangladesh's] people depend on the delta for their survival. Two-thirds of Bangladeshis work in agriculture and grow crops on the fertile delta floodplains. Jute fiber, used to make twine and sacking, is Bangladesh's main export crop. Tea, wheat, rice, beans, sugarcane, and fruits are grown."}} Fishing is also an important activity in the delta region, with fish being a major source of food for many of the people in the area.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=44|ps=: "Fishing has played a part in the lives of Bangladeshi people for a long time ... Fish is particularly important in Bangladesh, where it provides the main source of protein in the diet of many people ... Shrimp are farmed in large containers or cages that are submerged in the open water. They are mainly sold for export."}}

In the last decades of the 20th century, scientists helped the poor people of the delta to improve fish farming methods. By turning unused ponds into viable fish farms and improving methods of raising fish in existing ponds, many people can now earn a living raising and selling fish. Using new systems, fish production in existing ponds has increased 800%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.futureharvest.org/earth/fish.shtml |title=Global Demand for Fish Rising—Fish Farming is the Fastest Growing Field of Agriculture |website=Future Harvest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005030820/http://www.futureharvest.org/earth/fish.shtml |archive-date=5 October 2006 |quote=In Bangladesh, scientists are turning unused ponds into viable fish farms and improving fish raising in the existing ones. The project has led to a new way for the rural poor to earn an income ... Using new systems developed through research, fish production in existing ponds has increased eightfold.}}</ref> Shrimp are farmed in containers or cages that are submerged in open water. Most are exported.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=44|ps=: "Fishing has played a part in the lives of Bangladeshi people for a long time ... Fish is particularly important in Bangladesh, where it provides the main source of protein in the diet of many people ... Shrimp are farmed in large containers or cages that are submerged in the open water. They are mainly sold for export."}}

[[Image:HasnabadFerryPier.JPG|thumb|right|A lot of bustle at a ferry pier]]
[[Image:Vidyasagar setu.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Vidyasagar Setu]] which spans the [[Hooghly River|Hoogli]] River in [[Kolkata]]]]

As there is a maze of many river branches, the area is difficult to pass. Most islands are only connected with the mainland by simple wooden ferryboats. Bridges are rare. Some islands are not yet connected to the electric grid, so island residents tend to use solar cells for a bit of electric supply.

===Arsenic pollution===
{{Further|Arsenic contamination of groundwater}}
Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance in the Ganga Delta that has detrimental effects on health and may enter the [[food chain]], especially in key crops such as rice.

==Climate==
The Ganges Delta lies mostly in the tropical wet [[climate]] zone, and receives between {{convert|1500|to|2000|mm|in|abbr=on}} of rainfall each year in the western part, and {{convert|2000|to|3000|mm|in|abbr=on}} in the eastern part.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}. Hot, dry summers and cool, dry winters make the climate suitable for agriculture.

===Cyclones and flooding===
In November 1970, the deadliest tropical cyclone of the twentieth century hit the Ganges Delta region. The [[1970 Bhola cyclone]] killed 500,000 people (official death toll), with another 100,000 missing. [[The Guinness Book of World Records]] estimated the total loss of human life from the Bhola cyclone at 1,000,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=53274 |title=History and Society/Disasters/Cyclone Deaths |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=12 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051119041251/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=53274 |archive-date=19 November 2005}}</ref>

[[1991 Bangladesh Cyclone|Another cyclone]] hit the delta in 1991, killing about 139,000 people.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=43|ps=: "In 1970 Bangladesh suffered the world's worst recorded cyclone, when about 500,000 people were killed. The last bad cyclone to strike Bangladesh was in 1991. It killed 139,000 people."}} It also left many people homeless.

People have to be careful on the river delta as severe flooding also occurs. In 1998, the Ganges flooded the delta, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 30 million people homeless. The Bangladesh government asked for $900&nbsp;million to help feed the people of the region, as the entire rice crop was lost.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=40|ps=: "In 1998 ... About one thousand people were killed, and more than 30 million were left homeless by floods ... The entire rice crop was ruined, and the government asked for almost $900&nbsp;million dollars of aid to help it feed and rehouse its people."}}

== History ==
The history of the Bengal Delta has been a concern of emerging scholarship by environmental historians.

Indian historian Vinita Damodaran has extensively profiled famine management practices by the [[East India Company]], and related these practices to major ecological changes wrought about by forest and land management practices.<ref>{{Citation|last=Damodaran|first=Vinita|title=The East India Company and the Natural World|chapter=The East India Company, Famine and Ecological Conditions in Eighteenth-Century Bengal|date=2015|pages=80–101|editor-last=Damodaran|editor-first=Vinita|series=Palgrave Studies in World Environmental History|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|language=en|doi=10.1057/9781137427274_5|isbn=978-1-137-42727-4|editor2-last=Winterbottom|editor2-first=Anna|editor3-last=Lester|editor3-first=Alan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=DAMODARAN|first=VINITA|date=1995|title=Famine in a Forest Tract: Ecological Change and the Causes of the 1897 Famine in Chotanagpur, Northern India|journal=Environment and History|volume=1|issue=2|pages=129–158|issn=0967-3407|jstor=20722973|doi=10.3197/096734095779522636|s2cid=84650653 |url=http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/2827 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Damodaran|first=Vinita|date=1 October 2006|title=Famine in Bengal: A Comparison of the 1770 Famine in Bengal and the 1897 Famine in Chotanagpur|journal=The Medieval History Journal|language=en|volume=10|issue=1–2|pages=143–181|doi=10.1177/097194580701000206|s2cid=162735048|issn=0971-9458}}</ref> Debjani Bhattacharyya has shown how Calcutta was constructed as an urban centre through tracing ecological changes wrought upon by colonial powers involving land, water and humans throughout the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/empire-and-ecology-in-the-bengal-delta/4741DB240F1EACD9E1AFDDDFD9EE74AA|title=Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta: The Making of Calcutta|last=Bhattacharyya|first=Debjani|date=2018|language=en|doi=10.1017/9781108348867|isbn=9781108348867|s2cid=134078487 |access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Siegel|first=Benjamin|date=1 October 2019|title=Empire and Ecology in the Bengal Delta: The Making of Calcutta. By Debjani Bhattacharyya|url=https://academic.oup.com/envhis/article/24/4/807/5550680|journal=Environmental History|language=en|volume=24|issue=4|pages=807–809|doi=10.1093/envhis/emz053|issn=1084-5453|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In terms of recent scholarship that focuses more on the eastern part of the Bengal/Ganges Delta, Iftekhar Iqbal argues for the inclusion of the Bengal Delta as an ecological framework within which to study the dynamics of agrarian prosperity or decline, communal conflicts, poverty and famine, especially throughout the colonial period.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Bengal Delta : ecology, state and social change, 1840-1943|last=Iqbal, Iftekhar.|date=2010|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-23183-2|location=Basingstoke|oclc=632079110}}</ref> Iqbal has tried to show how resistance movements such as the Faraizi movement can be studied in relation to colonial ecological management practices.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Iqbal|first=Iftekhar|title=The Bengal Delta: Ecology, State and Social Change, 1840–1943 |chapter=The Political Ecology of the Peasant: the Faraizi Movement between Revolution and Passive Resistance|date=2010|pages=67–92|editor-last=Iqbal|editor-first=Iftekhar|series=Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|language=en|doi=10.1057/9780230289819_4|isbn=978-0-230-28981-9}}</ref>

A strong criticism of environmental history scholarship with regards to the Bengal/Ganges delta is that most of the scholarship is limited to the 18th to the 21st centuries, with a general dearth of ecological history of the region prior to the 18th century.

==Future of the delta==
One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of [[current sea level rise|rising sea levels caused by climate change]]. An increase in sea level of {{convert|0.5|m}} could result in six million people losing their homes in Bangladesh.{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=44-45|ps=: "The greatest change Bangladesh and its people may face in the coming years will probably be the threat of global warming ... One of the likely results of global warming is a gradual rise in sea levels. This could be {{convert|1.6|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} by 2100. That might not sound like very much, but it would mean that 6 million Bangladeshis would lose their homes."}}

Important gas reserves have been discovered in the delta, such as in the Titas and Bakhrabad gas fields. Several major oil companies have invested in exploration of the Ganges Delta region.<ref>{{cite book |author=USGS-Bangladesh Gas Assessment Team |date=2001 |title=U.S. Geological Survey—PetroBangla Cooperative Assessment of Undiscovered Natural Gas Resources of Bangladesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NsdgH-coRJoC&pg=PA8 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=978-1428917972}}</ref>{{sfn|Bowden|2003|p=41|ps=: "Gas reserves ... lie under the delta region and offshore in the Bay of Bengal. Important discoveries were made during the 1990s, and several major oil companies have invested in gas exploration in Bangladesh."}}

=== Tidal river management ===
To offset [[land loss]], [[Sedimentation enhancing strategies|tidal river management]] has been implemented in the delta.<ref name="Gain 111–120">{{Cite journal|last1=Gain|first1=Animesh K.|last2=Benson|first2=David|last3=Rahman|first3=Rezaur|last4=Datta|first4=Dilip Kumar|last5=Rouillard|first5=Josselin J.|date=1 September 2017|title=Tidal river management in the south west Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh: Moving towards a transdisciplinary approach?|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901116309236|journal=Environmental Science & Policy|language=en|volume=75|pages=111–120|doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2017.05.020|bibcode=2017ESPol..75..111G |issn=1462-9011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=van Staveren|first1=Martijn F.|last2=Warner|first2=Jeroen F.|last3=Shah Alam Khan|first3=M.|date=1 February 2017|title=Bringing in the tides. From closing down to opening up delta polders via Tidal River Management in the southwest delta of Bangladesh|url=https://iwaponline.com/wp/article/19/1/147/20536/Bringing-in-the-tides-From-closing-down-to-opening|journal=Water Policy|language=en|volume=19|issue=1|pages=147–164|doi=10.2166/wp.2016.029|issn=1366-7017|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Auerbach|first1=L. W.|last2=Goodbred|first2=S. L. Jr.|last3=Mondal|first3=D. R.|last4=Wilson|first4=C. A.|last5=Ahmed|first5=K. R.|last6=Roy|first6=K.|last7=Steckler|first7=M. S.|last8=Small|first8=C.|last9=Gilligan|first9=J. M.|last10=Ackerly|first10=B. A.|date=February 2015|title=Flood risk of natural and embanked landscapes on the Ganges–Brahmaputra tidal delta plain|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2472|journal=Nature Climate Change|language=en|volume=5|issue=2|pages=153–157|doi=10.1038/nclimate2472|bibcode=2015NatCC...5..153A |issn=1758-6798|url-access=subscription}}</ref> This method has been implemented in 5 [[beel]]s and resulted in benefits including decreased [[Waterlogging (agriculture)|waterlogging]], creation of [[Agricultural land|agricultural areas]], improved [[navigation]] and land creation.<ref name="Gain 111–120"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Masud|first1=Md. Mahedi Al|last2=Moni|first2=Nurun Naher|last3=Azadi|first3=Hossein|last4=Van Passel|first4=Steven|date=1 February 2018|title=Sustainability impacts of tidal river management: Towards a conceptual framework|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X17306593|journal=Ecological Indicators|language=en|volume=85|pages=451–467|doi=10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.10.022|bibcode=2018EcInd..85..451M |issn=1470-160X|hdl=10067/1490390151162165141|s2cid=84181903 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

==View==
[[File:Bangladesh tmo 2011313.jpg|thumb|left|800px|{{center|Ganga/Padma River from space}}]]
{{clear}}

==See also==
*[[Doab]]
*[[Gangotri]]
*[[Indo-Gangetic Plain]]
*[[Indian subcontinent]]
*[[Bay of Bengal]]
*[[Bengal tiger]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Bowden |first=Rob |title=The Ganges |date=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fGvMz4bMACAC |series=A River Journey |location=Chicago |publisher=Heinemann-Raintree Library |isbn=978-0739860700 }}
* {{cite book |date=1997 |title=Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Co_VIPIJerIC&pg=PA412 |location=Springfield, Mass. |publisher=Merriam-Webster |isbn=978-0-87779-546-9 |access-date=23 April 2011 |ref={{harvid|Merriam-Webster|1997}}}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.lsmsa.edu/MKhandoker/environmental%20science/Aquatic%20Ecosystem/Conflict%20on%20water2-Ganges%20river%20issues.htm |title=Water Resources in the Ganges River Basin |website=Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051026160753/http://www.lsmsa.edu/MKhandoker/environmental%20science/Aquatic%20Ecosystem/Conflict%20on%20water2-Ganges%20river%20issues.htm |archive-date=26 October 2005}}
* {{cite book |last=Bagchi |first=Kanangopal |date=1944 |title=The Ganges Delta |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.21183 |location=Calcutta |publisher=University of Calcutta}}

==External links==
{{commons category|position=left|Ganges Delta}}
* The Golden Fibre Trade Centre: [https://web.archive.org/web/20051117232413/http://tradezone.com/tradesites/ganges_delta.html Ganges Delta: Most Fertile Land for Growing Raw Jute]
* {{cite book |last=Rob |first=Md Abdur |year=2012 |chapter=Ganges-Padma River System |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Ganges-Padma_River_System |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}

{{Waters of South Asia}}
{{GeoSouthAsia}}
{{West Bengal}}

{{coord|22|42|N|89|40|E|type:waterbody_region:BD_dim:500000|display=title}}

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[[Category:Ganges|.]]
[[Category:Ganges basin]]
[[Category:River deltas of Asia]]
[[Category:Bay of Bengal]]
[[Category:Landforms of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Landforms of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Environment of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Environment of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Sundarbans]]
[[Category:Regions of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Regions of India]]