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The embankments act as a life line for deltaic people of the Sundarbans. The reclamation of immature land through the construction of embankment without proper planning has been increasing the vulnerability of embankment breaching due to various natural and anthropogenic causes. The construction and maintenance of embankments are difficult tasks without prior knowledge about the mode of vulnerability and ground situations of the sites. To understand the scenario of embankment breaching and its recent management strategy, an intensive field survey was conducted to comprehend the underlying reasons for embankment breaching and its management techniques at the ground level. The modern techniques were also incorporated to identify the vulnerable sites of river bank erosion. The study reveals that the southern part of the delta is more vulnerable due to intensive river bank erosion. To understand potential capabilities of these embankments to combat against fluvio-hydrological challenges, a sequential change of embankment construction from historical past to present and recent scientific engineering model of Aila Dam has been chalked out in this study. The present study is an attempt to understand the geo-historical perspectives of embankment construction and to identify the vulnerable coastal zone of Gosaba Island of Sundarban. The study also aims to illustrate the modern techniques of embankment management for its longevity in such a dynamic land.

Agriculture is the main economic activity in Sundarban to sustain the basic livelihood of rural people. In recent decades, the nature of agriculture mainly cropping patterns, crop productivity, and agricultural land use is gradually changing because of various natural as well as anthropogenic factors. The frequent occurrence of climatic extremes over the Bay of Bengal has been directly or indirectly affected the agricultural system of the delta. In the wake of the 2009 cyclone Aila, the crop production in Gosaba rapidly declined due to high salinity and low pH in the soil. Most of the agricultural land remains a seasonal fallow due to the shortage of freshwater during the dry season. The direction of the surface slope has been altered by the unsystematic construction of embankment and haphazard construction of closure in river channels. The saucer-shaped appearance of the island causes massive drainage congestion induced waterlogging problem in the agricultural field. Waterlogging causes crop damage and low productivity. Farmers continue to face substantial monetary loss and entrapping in poverty. To overcome these issues, climate-resilient cropping strategy, proper maintenance of the drainage system, and adaptation of modern land reshaping techniques for diversified agriculture systems are urgently needed for the profound agro-based economic future of the delta.

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