Kandi

Geography

The above map covers the Kandi and Berhampore subdivisions, which are spread across both the natural physiographic regions of the district: Rarh and Bagri. Kandi is away from Berhampore, the district headquarters of Murshidabad, and approximately from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. It is near two other districts: Burdwan (32 km) Nadia (30 km) and Birbhum (21 km). According to the District Census Handbook, Murshidabad (2011), Kandi covers an area of 12.97 km2. The ruins of Karnasubarna, the capital of Shashanka, the first important king of ancient Bengal who ruled in the 7th century, is located south-west of Berhampore. The entire area is overwhelmingly rural, with over 80% of the population living in the rural areas. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map. Kandi is located in the Mayurakshi River basin. The area is drained by three main river systems: the Mayurakshi–Bele, the Brahmani–Dwarka, and the Bakreshwar–Kopai–Kuye. All the three systems combine into one and finally flow into the Bhagirathi River through the Babla–Uttarasan system. These river systems carry huge discharges during monsoon season, causing wide-spread flooding and drainage congestion in Kandi and adjoining areas, as most of the decades-old embankments are in dilapidated conditions. During floods, the area can be totally cut off from other parts of the district for days, making the transport of relief materials and rapid evacuation challenging. In 2015, the average annual damage caused by these problems is .