Sagar Island’s Pilgrimage Faces Climate Change and Erosion Challenges
The Gangasagar Mela, an annual pilgrimage on Sagar Island in West Bengal, is not only a significant religious event but also a focal point for growing environmental concerns. Every year, millions of pilgrims gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal. The event, held on Makar Sankranti, is a spiritual milestone for many, with the Kapil Muni temple as its central hub. However, the island, already vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, faces increasing threats from coastal erosion and infrastructure challenges.
Sagar Island, located at the southernmost tip of West Bengal, has seen a significant rise in pilgrim numbers, with over 85 lakh people visiting for the 2025 Mela, a marked increase from the previous years. This surge is accompanied by efforts from the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, which has made the event a cornerstone of its outreach, hoping to position it alongside India’s larger religious gatherings like the Kumbh Mela. However, the rapid influx of pilgrims is not without consequences. The beach at the Gangasagar Mela has become severely eroded, making it unfit for pilgrims to bathe in the sacred waters. The once wide and sandy beach is now a sea of mud, with pilgrims forced to gather a kilometre away from the temple. Roads leading to the beach, which used to connect the temple with the confluence, have been closed off due to the erosion. The rise in sea levels and increased tidal surges, exacerbated by the ongoing construction activities for the Mela, has made the situation worse.
In a candid conversation with journalists, Bankim Chandra Hazra, the Minister for Sundarban Affairs, highlighted the rapid encroachment of the sea, now only 470 metres from the Kapil Muni temple, compared to 1,500 metres just a decade ago. Despite plans for a ₹4,100-crore embankment project to mitigate erosion across the Sundarbans, many locals and experts fear that the island’s fragile ecology cannot withstand the compounded pressure from both climate change and large-scale development. The construction for the Mela itself has been identified as a contributor to the problem. Tuhin Ghosh, a professor at Jadavpur University, explained that clearing sand dunes and vegetation to extend the Mela ground has disrupted natural barriers, allowing waves to attack the coastline more fiercely. These constructions violate Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) provisions that prohibit development within 500 metres of the high tide line, putting both the environment and local communities at risk.
For the island’s residents, the struggle against rising sea levels and increasing cyclones is an everyday reality. Locals like Mehrun Bibi and Bilasini Bar, whose homes are dangerously close to the sea, worry that their homes and livelihoods could soon be submerged. With each passing cyclone, the damage to their homes and their livelihoods intensifies. The island’s economy, primarily based on fishing, is also under threat, as the salinity levels rise and fish stocks dwindle. In response to these mounting concerns, local fishermen and environmental experts stress the need for a balanced approach between religious infrastructure and environmental protection. While the Gangasagar Mela holds immense religious significance, the state must prioritise sustainable development that takes into account the long-term ecological health of the region.
As political and environmental tensions rise, there is also talk of declaring the Gangasagar Mela a national event, with support from religious leaders like the Shankaracharya of Puri. However, despite the political push for this, the region’s rapidly eroding beaches and fragile ecosystems demand urgent intervention. A sustainable solution to both the environmental and infrastructural challenges is essential to ensure that the sacred traditions of the Mela are preserved without compromising the future of Sagar Island. The proposed ₹4,100-crore project to strengthen the embankments could be a potential step forward, but it remains to be seen whether these plans will be enough to safeguard the island from the ever-growing threat of climate change and unchecked development.