India and Bangladesh have signed a pact in New Delhi on July 17 agreeing not to prevent each other from carrying out anti-erosion work along the border in malda district. The district magistrate of Malda, Chittaranjan Das, said huge plots of Indian land on the border were eroded by the river. "The problem is particularly bad in areas like Old Malda, Habibpur and Bamungola where the border fencing and pillars have gone missing with the Mahananda eating into its banks.' In 2005, firing by the Bangladesh Rifles had stopped anti-erosion projects in Old Malda's Muchia Adampur. An Indian villager was killed in the incident. The BSF retaliated and an exchange of fire had taken place, Das said. The district magistrate hoped that the situation would improve after the agreement. "Our irrigation engineers have surveyed the areas where the anti-erosion work has to be taken up,' Das said. The signing of the pact followed a joint survey of the affected areas by officials of the land revenue department from Bengal and Bangladesh at the beginning of this year, the district magistrate said. Soumen Mishra, the executive engineer of the irrigation department in the district, said the Mahananda has moved almost 3km towards the left as a lot of land had been eroded away in the past three years. No anti-erosion work had been carried out because of the border dispute. The engineer said erosion has been taking place in six areas of the district over the years. "We need at least Rs 30 crore for anti-erosion work in these areas. We have the funds, but have to make fresh estimates now.' According to Mishra, huge chars had come up on the Bangladesh side of the river in the past three years. There was a plan to build a concrete embankment to check erosion. "We will start work as soon as the monsoon ends.'