Morphodynamic changes of Hooghly River and reorientation of Chakdaha settlement: a perspective of urban evolution (WB, India)

Association of human settlements with river is a historical phenomenon; their imprints upon present-day human organizations are quite visible. The shifting of river channels sometimes creates tremendous locational hazards to the human settlements, for instance shifting of Hooghly River course resulted in the obliteration of old and emergence of new settlements. The present work is a modest attempt to investigate the morphodynamic effect of Hooghly River on a historical Chakdaha settlement. The erstwhile ‘Chakradaha’ an agro-based rural settlement came to exist as ‘Chakdaha’ town sometimes in the nineteenth century; presently, it is located in Nadia district of West Bengal, India. The ever-changing meandering course of Hooghly River in Bengal basin made a gigantic interference in the formation and deformation of settlement boundary of Chakdaha. Due to the westward shifting, remains of Hooghly River can be seen in the present form of paleo-channels which were active river beds during fifteenth to seventeenth century. The natural levees were formed simultaneously. Such levees were withstanding in early time as highlands; now the same exist as linear human settlements, namely Noada-Durgapur, Malichaghar, Raninagar, Gangaprasadpur, Doardanga, Poradanga, etc., in Nadia district. Besides, these also mark the west boundary of Chakdaha town in some places.