Previous Year Question

The Moribund Delta is a subdivision of the Bengal or Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta. On the basis of fluvial activity and geomorphic stage, the Bengal Delta is divided into units such as the Moribund Delta, Mature Delta and Active Delta. Study material of the West Bengal State Council of Higher Education also places these three subdivisions under the Delta Proper of the Lower Ganga Plain.

Moribund refers to a deltaic stage in which active flow through old distributaries has greatly declined or the channels have become substantially silted up. A geographical description of the Census of India identifies parts of Murshidabad and Nadia as examples of the Moribund Delta and notes the silting of old distributary off-takes and poor drainage conditions.

In contrast, towards the south and south-east, particularly the Sundarbans region, the delta is more active and strongly influenced by tidal processes. Thus, old, mature and active deltaic stages coexist within the Bengal Delta.