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Why does West Bengal include 'West' in it's name when it is situated on the East side of India?
West Bengal has "West" in its name for a historical reason. Until India gained independence from the British in 1947, Bengal was a single, giant entity under British administration. After the partition of India, Bengal was itself divided along religious lines into two separate entities: East Bengal,Read more
West Bengal has “West” in its name for a historical reason. Until India gained independence from the British in 1947, Bengal was a single, giant entity under British administration. After the partition of India, Bengal was itself divided along religious lines into two separate entities: East Bengal, which joined Pakistan (and eventually became Bangladesh), and West Bengal, which remained part of India.
At that time, to differentiate between the two regions, the western part of Bengal locally within India was named “West Bengal” and the eastern part became “East Bengal”. East Bengal is what is today Bangladesh and in that geographical context it made sense but West Bengal’s name stayed on.
See lessWest Bengal is called so to maintain the historical as well as cultural identity. Though West Bengal falls in the eastern part of India, but ‘West’ denotes it’s position with respect to the old undivided Bengal during partition. And it has become a kind of an identity of the state.
India's peninsular rivers are perennial compared to the seasonal rivers of the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Explain the reasons behind this difference and discuss the socio-economic implications of these contrasting river regimes.
India's peninsular rivers, like the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri are perennial. That means they flow through the year. They get the water by monsoon rains and also get water from reservoirs and dams. The Western Ghats gets a lot of rain during the monsoon and that is how these rivers keep flowing.Read more
India’s peninsular rivers, like the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri are perennial. That means they flow through the year. They get the water by monsoon rains and also get water from reservoirs and dams. The Western Ghats gets a lot of rain during the monsoon and that is how these rivers keep flowing.
On the other hand, most of India’s northern rivers on the Indo-Gangetic Plains like the Ganga and Yamuna are perennial as they depend heavily on rainwater as well as melting snow from the Himalayas. In summers, their flow reduces too much.
The socio-economic impact of these differences is huge. The perennial rivers in the northern region provide water throughout the year for agriculture, drinking and industrial needs. Since the availability is assured, crops are planned around the year. This ensures food security and sustains millions of livelihoods.
Seasonal rivers in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, however, pose both. During the dry season, these rivers can suffer from water scarcity affecting agriculture and crop production leading to farmers’ economic stress. On the other hand, during monsoon season, these rivers become flood prone and cause damage to crops, houses and physical infrastructure which requires to be managed through the construction of dams and irrigation systems for efficient storage and distribution.
Perennial rivers tend to have more stability and economic value, while seasonal rivers need more management to reduce the risks of water shortage and flood.
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