The very word “Gajoldoba” might make one feel awkward. The place though is a gem of North Bengal. We were not aware of this place till we went to Latpanchar, a small quaint hamlet, and home to one of the rarest bird in the world about which I shall blog separately. The word “doba” in Bengali means a wet marshy place. Watery hole; Small and often unused water bodies. This wetland did not exist prior to early 1970s but then during the year 1975 -1976 the Teesta barrage was constructed which was the largest irrigation project not only in West Bengal but also in the entire eastern region. It created 9.22 lakh hectres of irrigation potential in six northern districts of West Bengal and 67.50 MW of hydropower from canal falls. Gajoldoba wetland was an offshoot of this mega project and a perfect example of the symbiosis of technological mega projects and nature conservation. Gajoldoba is a small village on the western side of Teesta River close to the Baikunthapur forest. The village [...... read more ]