The bank of the Ganga in Bhutni where the river has been advancing steadily. Picture by Surajit Roy
Malda, July 28: People living on Bhutni island on the Ganga are facing a dilemma: whether to allow the river to breach the embankment and bring in silt that will enrich the soil, or ask the irrigation department to take steps to stop the flooding.

"If the rising waters of the river breach the embankment and deposit the silt, we will have a green revolution on the island,' a farmer said.