INDIAN SCIENCE CRUISER (ISSN : 0970-4256) Volume 36 No 5 September 2022 10 Shilabati River: Its Environment Gautam Kumar Das † Abstract The mixing of huge quantities of eroded materials from the upstream and middle stretches deteriorates the water quality of Shilabati River downstream. Along with such huge sediment load, discharge of untreated wastewater from both point and nonpoint sources results in the water of Shilabati River being unusable. Though water quality rating shows water in good conditions after calculation of water quality index still the river water is not to be prescribed for drinking, outdoor bathing, or other domestic purposes as the faecal coliform bacterial count is more than the permissible limit as standardized by the Central Pollution Control Board. Apart from the water conditions, Shilabati River is known for its geographical and historical importance. Keywords: Water quality index, pH, Suspended solids, Water hardness, Gangani, Chuar rebellion † 19, Raj Krishna Pal Lane, Kolkata 700 075 // Email: gkdas7@gmail.com ORCID: Gautam Kumar Das: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5648-5500 Introduction Shilabati, or Shilai, is a small river in southwestern West Bengal. Shilai fows over Purulia, Bankura and Paschim Medinipur districts. Originating near the town of Puncha in Purulia, the river fows through deep forests and enters Bankura [1].The main tributaries of Shilai in Bankura are Jayapanda and Purandar. Also, several other small rivers join Shilai at Bankura. Then it fows southeast through Simlapal and enters Paschim Medinipur district. The main tributaries of Shilai in West Midnapore are Kulbai, Tamal and Parang. Among them, the Kulbai or Kubai River originates near Tangasol and crosses the Medinipur-Bankura railway line to join the Tamal River near Mugbasan and this confuence fows into the Shilai River near Narajol. But there is no water in the Shilai or its tributaries except during the rainy season. Flowing through Garbeta and Kharkusma in Paschim Medinipur, Shilai joins the Dwarkeshwar River at Bandar – Pratappur near Ghatal. Ghatal is the only municipal town and an important commercial center located on the banks of Shilai river. Shilabati River is included in Damodar basin and water pollution is observed from Ghatal to Nischindipur about 3.8 km downstream of the river along its course. Although it is a narrow stream for several miles from the source, the Shilabati River is relatively wide in the middle stretch. In the middle stream of Shilabati, Gangani is the famous Grand Canyon of Bengal on the riverbank near Garbeta where many researchers come for geography research. Again, the forest surrounding the Gangani plain is the place of history of the centuries old Chuar Rebellion. Along with such enriched history and geography, the myths and old story of Gangani is heard from the local people’s belief. The rich history, mythology, and geography surrounding the Shilabati and above all the qualities and characteristics of the river water is the focus of this study. DOI: 10.24906/isc/2022/v36/i5/218003 In Brief