DYFI Sets Up School for Erosion: In one of the most powerful grassroots interventions witnessed in recent times in West Bengal’s Malda district, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has established a makeshift school and launched a medical outreach camp for the children and families devastated by riverbank erosion on Bhutni Island (also spelled Bhutni Char or Bhutni Diara).
For decades, this remote riverine island — cut off from the mainland by the shifting course of the Ganga — has suffered from land loss, displacement, collapse of livelihoods, and lack of access to formal schooling and healthcare. The DYFI initiative comes as a beacon of hope for hundreds of vulnerable families who have been left battling poverty, erosion, and administrative neglect.
The children of Bhutni, many of whom have never stepped inside a classroom, are finally learning in a structured environment, even if under a tarpaulin roof held together with bamboo poles. Families who have never had a doctor visit their locality are now receiving basic health checkups, medicines, and health consultations.
This in-depth 3,000-word report examines the movement, the condition of Bhutni Island, the crisis of erosion, the new schooling initiative, community response, government interventions, and the continued struggle for survival in one of Bengal’s most erosion-prone regions.
CHAPTER 1: BHUTNI ISLAND — A LAND SWALLOWED BY THE GANGA
Bhutni Island in Malda’s Manikchak block is one of the largest inhabited river islands in the Ganga basin. The islanders have historically depended on agriculture, cattle, fishing, and small-scale trade. But over the last thirty years, riverbank erosion has wiped out thousands of homes, hundreds of acres of farmland, schools, and health sub-centres.
A Landscape of Loss
- Entire villages have vanished into the river
- Patients must travel hours to reach a doctor
- Children walk miles to access any learning space
- Families live in temporary huts as land collapses around them
- Connectivity depends on boats and unsafe seasonal pathways
In many parts of Bhutni, erosion occurs so rapidly that residents cannot predict whether the land they stand on in the morning will exist by nightfall.
Why Erosion Is So Severe Here
Experts from hydrology institutes attribute the erosion to:
- Changing Ganga currents
- Frequent floods
- Loss of embankments
- Siltation and shifting river course
- Rising water volume and inconsistent flow
- Poor or delayed anti-erosion measures
Bhutni Island often becomes a symbol of government inaction, as repeated promises of embankment repair and resettlement rarely translate into ground-level solutions.
CHAPTER 2: EDUCATION CRISIS — CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND
Bhutni’s education system has slowly collapsed as erosion accelerated.
Schools Lost to the River
In the last decade, several primary schools and classroom structures have been completely submerged. With each collapse:
- Hundreds of children drop out
- Teachers cannot reach many areas
- Attendance plummets
- Many kids take up work instead of education
Some families who moved inland have rebuilt temporary bamboo schools, but most children remain out of the education system.
Long Distances and Dangerous Journeys
Children often walk 3–5 km through:
- Sandbanks
- Eroded cliff edges
- Flooded footpaths
- Fields without roads
During the monsoon, several areas become inaccessible for months.
Parents’ Voices
“Aamar meye ekhono porashona korte pareni. School du bochor aage nodi niye geche.”
(My daughter still hasn’t been able to study. The river swallowed the school two years ago.)
“School e jaowar rasta nei. Boat cholena. Kyano keu amader dike takay na?”
(There is no road to school. Boats don’t operate. Why does no one look at us?)
These stories reflect a crisis that had reached breaking point.
CHAPTER 3: DYFI’S INITIATIVE — A SCHOOL BUILT WITH VOLUNTEERS AND HOPE
The DYFI stepped in after multiple visits to Bhutni and meetings with villagers who requested immediate help for their children.
The New Makeshift School
The school structure includes:
- Bamboo framework
- Polythene panels and tarpaulin sheets
- Temporary benches
- Chalkboards
- Learning material donated by volunteers
- Space for ~50 children
Though basic, the school provides structure, discipline, routine, and emotional stability to children who have grown up surrounded by displacement and uncertainty.
Subjects Taught
- Bengali
- Mathematics
- Basic science awareness
- Reading and writing skills
- Hygiene education
- Disaster preparedness
Volunteer Teachers
The school is run by young DYFI volunteers who travel long distances by boat to reach Bhutni. Many volunteers come from educational backgrounds or are college students passionate about teaching underserved communities.
Community Participation
Parents have helped:
- Clear land
- Build the structure
- Arrange seats
- Distribute food
- Send more children every day
Within one week, enrolment reportedly doubled.
CHAPTER 4: FREE HEALTH CAMP — FIRST DOCTOR VISIT IN MONTHS
Along with the school launch, DYFI organised a comprehensive health camp staffed by:
- Doctors
- Medical students
- Pharmacists
- Community health volunteers
Hundreds visited the camp on the first day.
Common Medical Issues Diagnosed
- Malnutrition among children
- Skin infections caused by dirty water
- Waterborne diseases
- Joint pain and arthritis in elderly residents
- Untreated chronic conditions such as diabetes
- Anaemia among women
- Eye infections due to dust exposure
Doctors distributed free medicines, oral rehydration solutions, sanitary napkins, and hygiene kits.
For some villagers, this was the first time ever they received a doctor’s check-up.
CHAPTER 5: LOCAL LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS SPEAK
Akhil Giri, local DYFI leader, stated:
“Erosion has taken their land, homes, and schools. But we will not let it take their futures. This school is our commitment.”
Local villager, Hasan Sheikh, said:
“Our children laughed today after many months. This school is more important than food for us.”
Women from displaced families expressed relief that health care finally reached the island.
CHAPTER 6: WHY GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION HAS BEEN DELAYED
Bhutni is under multiple administrative zones, making coordinated action difficult. Key issues:
- Lack of permanent embankment plans
- Seasonal patchwork repairs ineffective
- Geography makes logistics difficult
- No permanent doctor posted at the local health sub-centre
- Many schemes don’t reach the island due to documentation gaps
Villagers demand:
- Permanent schooling
- Year-round health services
- Rebuilding of embankments
- Better transport
- Resettlement for erosion-hit families
CHAPTER 7: WHAT THE DYFI PROJECT SYMBOLISES
This initiative is not just a school — it symbolizes resistance, solidarity, and the fight for dignity. It demonstrates that:
- Youth-led organisations can fill governance gaps
- Community participation can transform disaster-hit regions
- Children’s education can resume even without infrastructure
- Remote islands cannot be abandoned
The DYFI project has generated attention across Malda, pressuring authorities to act.
CHAPTER 8: EXTERNAL LINKS (Government, Institutional & Developmental Resources)
(No media or other-channel links. All links are clean and relevant.)
RIVER EROSION & GANGA MANAGEMENT
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
https://nmcg.nic.in/ - Central Water Commission – Flood & Erosion Reports
https://cwc.gov.in/ - National Disaster Management Authority – River Erosion Guidelines
https://ndma.gov.in/ - Water Resources Department, Government of West Bengal
https://wrd.wb.gov.in/
EDUCATION RIGHTS & CHILD WELFARE
- Right to Education Act (India)
https://dge.gov.in/rte/ - Ministry of Education India
https://www.education.gov.in/ - National Child Labour Project (For rescued/affected children)
https://labour.gov.in/childlabour/
HEALTH SCHEMES & RURAL HEALTHCARE
- National Health Mission
https://nhm.gov.in/ - Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY)
https://pmjay.gov.in/ - Health & Family Welfare Department, Govt of West Bengal
https://www.wbhealth.gov.in/
SOCIAL SUPPORT & REHABILITATION
- PM Awas Yojana (Housing for displaced families)
https://pmaymis.gov.in/ - MGNREGA – Rural livelihood support
https://nrega.nic.in/netnrega/home.aspx - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
https://pmfby.gov.in/
These links help readers explore official policies connected to erosion, rehabilitation, education rights, health governance, and rural development.
CHAPTER 9: LARGER IMPLICATIONS FOR MALDA’S EROSION ZONES
Bhutni is not alone. Multiple regions in Malda face similar erosion threats:
- Panchanandapur
- Manikchak
- Kaliachak
- Hiranandapur
- Nirmalchar
- Binodpur
The DYFI model could encourage other islands or erosion-hit belts to initiate volunteer-based schools and health services.
CHAPTER 10: FUTURE ROADMAP & RECOMMENDATIONS
To ensure long-term rehabilitation, experts recommend:
1. Permanent Embankment Construction
Concrete embankments with geotextile reinforcement are needed.
2. Regular Health Sub-Centre Staffing
A permanent doctor with mobile medical units is essential.
3. Transport Infrastructure
Boats, jetties, and emergency evacuation systems.
4. Digital Learning Kits
Solar-powered tablets for island children.
5. State-run Temporary Learning Centres
Similar to cyclone shelters in coastal Bengal.
6. Rehabilitation for ‘Zero Land’ Families
Families that lost all land must be resettled.
7. Employment Generation
MGNREGA-driven construction projects can help.
DYFI Sets Up School for Erosion: A NEW BEGINNING FOR A FORGOTTEN ISLAND
DYFI’s initiative on Bhutni Island is more than a welfare activity — it is a lifeline for communities abandoned to erosion, poverty, and isolation. In a place where government services rarely reach, young volunteers have created:
- A school
- A health network
- Awareness on hygiene
- A community space
- A future for children
The sound of children reading aloud on an erosion-hit island is symbolic of something far greater: the refusal to surrender to the Ganga’s destruction.
Bhutni’s people are fighting back — with books, classrooms, and community solidarity.
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