Jalpaiguri district is bounded in the North by the hill ranges of the Himalayan and the South by the piedmont plains, which gradually grade into the alluvial plains further south. This district exhibits a diversity sediment and soil colour. This feature has been fan. deposit in this tectonically affected composing the piedmont plain in the area are of apparently fluvial origin. As evidence by the huge size of the boulders they display later fluvial activity is seen in the terraces and later deposits besides a plethora of distributary channels. Rill and gully erosion over a long period of time has produced an undulatory. surface in these ancient deposits. The North they consist mainly of pebble to quartzite. overlain by finer water lain deposit. Later fluvial deposits ranging mainly from cobble to. clay size material over lain the area. In alluvial plains leaves, back swamps, ox- bow lakes etc. represent the usual landscape features comprising mainly the more recent. flood plains but ancient flood plains surfaces may, perhaps be coeval with the uplifted.
The Jalpaiguri district is a part of sub-Himalayan West Bengal which is generally known as ‘Terai’ or
‘Duars’. The study area which situated in the foothills region of Himalayas, facing different type hazards which is natural and also man made like floods, landslides etc.
Main four causes which affects vulnerably are:
- Due to River Shifting
- Due to Deforestation
- Soil Erosion
- Ground and surface water Quality
The Jalpaiguri district exhibits different pattern geomorphological, hydrological and physical set up of the Quaternary terrain comprising the interfluves area of the Mahananda, Teesta, Torsha, Jaldhaka, Sankosh and other rivers provide evidences of parallel transverse faults. The neotectonic movement controls the drainage pattern, topography and groundwater. GIS has been utilized in the storage and retrieval of attribute spatial and non-spatial data such as land use, soil, water quality, socio-economic, and health condition of district. Natural resource is the heart of the district but which is faces the problem by the natural and large scale human induced activity and its consequential hazards such as deforestation, flooding though frequently river shifting, soil erosion and degrade of water resource system due to intensive used of chemical fertilizers and pesticides of tea garden belts for increasing production. The various chemical parameter of water quality shows abnormality in surface and sub- surface water in monsoon periods rather than others seasons which effect falls in the heath conditions of tea garden belts. Low literacy, poverty and lack of awareness are indirectly caused of the poor condition of health of tea garden belts. Integrated thematic maps with spatial and non-spatial data help the planner and decision maker to take special attention which areas are appropriate to set up adult education centre or Public Health Centre to increase or improve the literacy rate or health condition and safe drinking facility. From the foregoing details of different thematic layer with spatial and non-spatial in different aspects is apparent that a comprehensive methodology will be necessary for environment development, which is the bed- rock of development for the whole country.
