that are washed by the Ganges. The waters were out on this occasion from the end of August to the second week of October, and the whole country was flooded. It is believed that these were the highest floods on record in this district; but the damage done to the crops was comparatively small. The cattle suffered much from the loss of fodder, and the people were greatly inconvenienced by being driven to seek shelter on high piaces. When the water subsided, cholera broke out in an epidemic. form. The boro aman rice crop, however, grew on in most places uninjured, and managed to keep its head above waters, even when they rose quickly, and eventually a very fair rice harvest was reaped." (District Gazetteer of Rajshahi.)

The reader will see that the havocs done by the present flood and the flood of 1871 are identical in all respects except as regards the destruction of crops. In 1871, the flood was not held up by railway embankments. The water rose slowly and subsided rapidly enabling the Aman crop to survive the deluge. But this year, the railway embankments held up the water so long, that the crops became a total loss. I think that if the railway embankment were provided with waterways, or if during the early stages of the flood, the line were breached or cut open to let the water pass freely, the rice crop of the Rajshahi district, and the Ganja crop of Naogaon could have been largely, if not wholly, recovered. Such a precedent of cutting the line in time for public good is not unknown, even in India.

In 1892, there was a serious flood in the very region. We quote the following account from the District Gazetteer of Dinajpore :

"The really serious flood in the Dinajpur district of which any account has been preserved was that of the 9th July, 1892. This appears to have been an inundation from the Atrai...At one time, it seemed likely that the whole of the centre. portion of the town of Dinajpur might be destroyed, but the timely cutting of the Darjeeling Road let the water off and relieved the pressure... Any way the railway line was breached on both sides of the town. An enquiry into the cause of this disastrous flood led

to

the conclusion that the Railway line which bisects the district from east to west was in a large measure responsible for the damage done, by holding up the flood water coming from the north. To obviate this, the waterway was greatly increased with, it would seem, satisfactory results, as 120 flood worthy of the name has occurred since."

The reader will see that this statement is quite categorical. If the Railway engineers who constructed the Sara-Santahar and SaraSerajgunge Railway were conversant with this episode, and cared to take their lesson from it, the people of Rajshahi and Pabna would have been spared much of the misery to which they have been subjected.

THE OFFICIAL VERSION OF THE FLOOD.

It is interesting to compare the above account of the flood with the official version published on the 12th October. I have added certain passages (included within round brackets) to the main body of the communique, for reasons to be stated presently.

"The floods were the result of excessive rainfall in Northern Bengal culminating on the 26th September. At Naogaon, a week's rainfall registered 311⁄2 inches. The flood water originally collecte in the Balurghat subdivision of the district of Dinajpur spread over the whole of the Natore and Sadar subdivision of the Rajshahi district, breached the railway line (between Jamalgunj and Akkelpore, and between Santahar and Bogra) in several places and traversed the western part of the district of Bogra in which the railway station of Santahar lies, thence passed into the Chalan Bil (area) in that district."

In this communique, no mention is made of the course of the western section of the floodwater which poured into Naogaon and Natore, and was held up by the double line running from Sara to Santahar, causing a devastating accumulation of water for upwards of a fortnight. No mention is made of the fact that due to this obstruction, the pent-up water on the western side of the line rose to a height of four to five feet above the level of the water on the eastern side. The communique carefully omitted to mention. how long the flood stayed in Rajshahi, east and west of the line, even after the practical cessation of the rains during the week following the deluge.

The official Communique betrays an illconcealed attempt to put the railways into the background by avoiding, as much as possible, all references to them, and throwing all the blame on the freaks of nature. But

"The cat was let out of the bag" by subordinate officers and experienced officials on the spot whom, probably, the Ministers on the hill-top had no time to consult or to coach before writing their despatch. Probably the sight of the disasters so moved the hearts of these gentlemen, that they could not but empty their minds to the people, who sought interviews with them.

These interviews, collected on behalf of the Bengal Relief Committee, by the enterprising and public-spirited Kaviraj Anath Nath Ray, have been published in most of the leading daily papers. They have now become matters of common knowledge, but they should be preserved in the form of more enduring literature than in the ephemeral publication of a daily paper. To quote in extenso from Dr. Bentley, the Director of Public Health :

Dr. Bentley said :-You see that all drains converge into rivers. The rivers ultimately discharge themselves into the Padma and the Jumna. The slope of the country is from six to nine inches. Unfortunately,

the engineers who are responsible for the construction of District Board Boads and Railway lines in this region did not trouble their heads about the natural drainage of the country. The roads and railway lines are insufficiently provided with culverts, and waterways. The water itself is not an evil but it must be quickly drained off. The fact that floods have become almost annual visitants clearly show a disorganisation of the catchment areas of the river system of Bengal, due to the faulty construction of railways. The problem before us is to see that the natural system of drainage is restored, and, after every rainfall, water drains off as quickly as possible. The river system ought to be surveyed with a view to discovering how the basin of each river has been obstructed by railway embankments. Wherever necessary, a sufficient number of culverts of a new type must be inserted. I have discussed this problem with a very clever engineer friend of mine who has actually carried out experiments in this connection. In his view small culverts, 20 to 24 inches in diameter, should be inserted in every embankment at frequent intervals. The ground level of these culverts should not be the same as that of the surface, but should be at least a foot higher. In this way some water will be left for irrigation purpose, at the same time the accumulation of water would never be dangerous for the embankments. Moreover the water would not be discharged directly into the rivers and streams but would pass on to the fields, where it is needed for the crops. With such a system as I suggest Bengal can keep her roads and railways, and largely eliminate malaria, improve her water supply and at the same time prevent risks of dangerous floods. This disorganisation of the country by the roads and railway embankments is the cause of the trouble.

Question.-I understand this general statement. Will you kindly explain the cause of the present crisis?

Dr. Bentley-The railway embankments chiefly aud the Dt. Board roads as well interfere with the free flow of water to the streams. The railway line here runs from north to south, while the slope of the country is from west to east. Thus the railway embankments and the Dt. Board roads to a certain extent are responsible for the flood. I wrote to the Government immediately after my first visit to the flooded area. This is my second visit, and the views I have expressed are on their way to Darjeeling to the members of the Government.

The reader must carefully note the sentence "Water in itself is not an evil, if it is quickly drained off," which puts the whole plea in a nutshell.

It is not worth while to quote the opinion of the Minister, who ascribed the whole blame to the freaks of nature. Probably the old gentleman was remembering the Bengali proverb "-whom it pleases God to kill, it is useless for man to try to save," and trying to forget the miseries of the victims of the railway policy as philosophically as possible.

Khan Bahadur Emdaduddin Ahmed, Chairman, Rajshahi District Board, says in his interview:

My considered view is that the are the chief causes of the flood.

railway lines The line from

Santahar to Natore was metre gauge before, and the total water-way was two thousand running feet, leaving out large bridges. This line has been converted into broad guage, and while the larger bridges remain, the same water-way has been reduced from 2,000 running feet, to 1,200 feet, i. e., practically by 800 running feet. The construction of the SaraSerajgunge line is the main cause of the flood. The waterways of this line are very insufficient When this line was being constructed, we prayed and petitioned for a larger number of waterways in the line, but failed to influence the railway authorities. That the Santahar-Natore and Sara-Serajgunge lines are responsible for the floods will be borne out by the following measurements of the waterlevel on the two sides of the lines. The difference of waterlevel as between the two sides of the Santahar-Natore line was 3 ft., on the 27th and 2 ft., on the 30th Sept.; the difference on the Sara-Serajgunge line was 3 to 3 ft. so late as on the 5th instant. I told this to Sir Surendra Nath Banerjea and to Dr. Bentley; the latter while admitting this said that there ought to be more waterways on the Dt. Board roads as well.

The same view was substantially corroborated by the overseer of the District Board roads, Mr. Sailendra Mohan Ghose, and other officials. EXTENT OF DAMAGE DONE.

It is best to quote from the official communique which is held to be an underestimate by all non-official visitors to the scene.

The principal areas affected are nearly 400 square miles in the district of Bogra. 1200 square miles in the district of Rajshahiin varying degrees and a small area in Pabna. There has been a considerable loss of crop and destruction of houses. In the district of Rajshahi, it is estimated that the loss of the winter rice crop in the affected area is on the average 70 to 75 per cent. The loss of the ganja crop is estimated at 90 per cent. In Bogra, however, the loss of the winter rice crop is not estimated at more than 20 to 25 per cent of the whole. The huts demolished or damaged in the area affected in the district of Rajshahi are estimated at 50 or 60 per cent. Many, however, with tin or thatched roofs can be repaired again. In Bogra, the loss of homesteads is not estimated at more than 5 per cent or 10 per cent in the worst cases. The loss of the cattle is also substantial.

As to the non-official estimates we quote the following from the "Statesman" of the 15th October.

"The Governmental estimate as to the loss of and damage to property is held to be, in almost every respect, a considerable underestimate. In the Bogra district the loss has been estimated by the Assistant Director of Public Health at over one crore of rupees. In the village of Talson alone, seven small huts out of fully 200 dwellings have been left standing.

After a visit to the Naogaon subdivision I am on good authority to say that the damage to property and destruction of cattles much more serious than is indicated by official estimates. The Naogaon sub

more

The area affected in Rajshahi is three times the area in Bogra, and the loss to houses, property, and crop is admitted to be severe. We can therefore put the loss at Rajshahi and Pabna combined at 5 crores of rupees. Altogether, the floods have caused a total loss of six crores of rupees, and of this huge loss a substantial percentage must be laid at the door of the railways.

This is not probably all the loss the unfortunate people have suffered. After the flood of 1918, the complaint was received from every quarter that the fields had become coated with a fresh layer of mud which had considerably reduced the fertility of the soil. During the Damodar floods, fields on both sides of the Domodar were coated with a layer of reddish mud, the ferrogenous soil of Chotanagpur washed away by the streams feeding the Damodar, which considerably reduced the crop-bearing capacity of these fields, and this fertility was not recovered till a year or two afterwards. When the flood comes in the ordinary way, and has a natural flow, the soil beneath is coated with a thin layer of alluvial silt (known as the pali)' which greatly increases the fertility. But during the heavy rains, such as that which preceded this great flood, generally the soil is washed to a great depth, the water becomes extremely turbid due to the presence of particles of earth from the subsoil held in suspension, which is heavily precipitated when the flow is completely checked as on the present occasion. All correspondents report that the places from which the floodwater has receded have been coated with an unusually thick layer of mud. I apprehend very much that the crop-bearing capacity of the soil has been greatly reduced by this thick deposit of mud. I do not however wish to commit myself to any definite view as there is not sufficient data at my disposal. I hope my fears will prove to be baseless, for otherwise the peasant, in addition to the loss of the Aman crop this year, will also have a poor Rabi crop. It is desirable that this point be carefully investigated by the agricultural officers of the Government.

The Flood and After. Act of God
or Hand of Man.

The Flood has come and gone. It has done what harm it could do to the unfortunate people who happened to be on its path. The question has been raised, "Is it to be considered wholly as an Act of God, or has the Hand of Man any share in rendering it more destructive than it would otherwise have been"?

I approached the problem with an impartial mind and I find the conclusion irresistible that "the Hand of Man" must have a fairly large share of the blame. To put the matter in a nutshell, my considered opinion is that if the railways were provided with sufficient waterways, the loss of crops would have been slight, and the destruction of houses and property would have been greatly reduced.

It

I do not for a moment suggest that the railway engineers have purposely done the mischief. But it is clear that they failed to do good, or did not care to study the interest of the people living in the regions through the heart of which the line was constructed. is difficult for an engineer trained in England to realise the immense importance of unobstructed flow of water to the peasant here. The peasant of Bengal has no railway shares or debentures to live upon. The few acres of land which he possesses and tills, supplies food and clothing for himself and his family, and enables him to pay the rent to the Zemindar. There is no industrial concern in the country area where he can earn his bread as a labourer. He lives and dies with his paddy fields.

It is rumoured that when it was decided to double the Sara-Santahar line with the reduction of waterways commented upon many correspondents, the then Commissioner of the Rajshahi division had a tough fight with the Chief Railway Engineer. The Commissioner put forward the view that the reduction of waterways might lead to a disaster like the present one. But his arguments failed to convince the railway authorities and ultimately the peasant was sacrificed to railway interests. It is also said that the man in charge of the construction tampered with the plans, and further reduced the total waterways provided therein. Ultimately the man was removed, but the mischief he did was not undone. I cannot vouch for the truth of this story, but anybody who will bring the true story of the construction of the railway to light, will earn the thanks of the country.

I have tried to show in the press how the railway embankments have been instrumental for the almost total destruction of these paddy fields, and I shall consider my labour sufficiently rewarded if the people of Bengal rise to a sense of the danger threatening the peasantry of North Bengal, and see that they are spared a similar fate in future. I would remind the railway authorities of the following lines of Burns

O wad some power the giflie gie us,
To see oursels as other see us,
It would frae monie a blunder free us
and foolish notion.

MEGHNAD SAHA,