History
In the 18th century, the British colonial government in India commissioned the excavation of Tolly's Canal by reviving part of the old route of the Adi Ganga. This was done to create a more direct and practical route for oceangoing ships, as the existing route was circuitous and impractical for the movement of country boats during the monsoon season. The excavation of Tolly's Canal had significant ecological and social costs, as it led to the degradation of the Adi Ganga and the loss of the ghats (steps leading down to a body of water) and other cultural landmarks that had been established along its banks. In the 1960s, the water route lost its vitality and the canal transformed into a drain due to the dumping of untreated industrial and domestic waste into it. Today, the Adi Ganga is heavily polluted and is a source of environmental and public health concerns for the surrounding communities.References
{{reflist Rivers of West Bengal Sundarbans Rivers of India