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Environmental Degradation – A Major Problem in Flourishing Coastal Tourism at Ganga Sagar Beach, West Bengal, India

Author Affiliations

  • 119, Raj Krishna Pal Lane, Kolkata – 700 075, India

Int. Res. J. Environment Sci., Volume 14, Issue (4), Pages 33-39, October,22 (2025)

Abstract

In the extreme south of West Bengal, on the island of Ganga Sagar, in the lap of the Bay of Bengal, the world-famous Ganga Sagar is visited by pilgrims every day, but tourists are not seen. In such a holy place where there are countless guesthouses for pilgrims to stay and eat, there are only 20 hotels for tourists. Among the many reasons why tourists do not come to Ganges Sagar, some of the main reasons is that although Ganges Sagar is located along the coastline, its present beach width is narrow, the presence of ditches and channels in various parts of the beach, steep beach slope from the high tide line to the low tide line, turbulent coastal waters, strong movement of waves and tides etc. Currently, this beach is suffering from chronic erosion and so even though the devotees come here, the number of tourists has decreased.

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