ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Arabinda SamantaSubscribe to Arabinda Samanta

Crop, Climate and Malaria

The decade of the 1870s was marked across Bengal by drastic rainfall variations, changing crop patterns and a devastating malarial epidemic that depopulated many villages. Though hampered by a paucity of data, this paper relying on contemporary records establishes the link between widespread incidence of malaria to not merely the declining water supply, but the increasing inaccessibility to existing water sources, thanks to the large-scale construction of embankments and the colonial reclamation of land.

Cyclone Hazards and Community Response in Coastal West Bengal

Coastal Bengal is a most vulnerable area because of its repeated exposure to cyclone hazards which cause severe damage to human life, property and vegetation. Nevertheless, the residents of the region refuse to migrate elsewhere unless they are forced, or rendered completely homeless. Though social tensions do arise due to discrimination in the relief work, cyclonic disasters generally act as a social-leveller and a social cement, enabling the victims to continue to reside in the land of their deceased predecessors.

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