At a Glance

Climate

Summer Temperature: Max: 37o C; Min: 19o C
Winter Temperature: Max: 24o C; Min: 3o C
Best Time to Visit: July to March

Talking about the weather of Digha, this hamlet witnesses three main seasons, namely summer, winter and monsoon.

The summers usually start from the month of April and continue till June, with mercury rising to a maximum of 37oC. However, cool winds from the sea keep the place pleasant and amusing.

The month of July witnesses the onset of monsoons which lasts till the end of September. Digha experiences average shower, which instantly brings down the rising mercury levels, thus bringing in relief. Humidity is high during these months. However, with October, the mercury further dips away, making way for winters to set in. During this season, the temperatures range from a maximum of 24oC to a minimum of 3oC.

Winter lasts till the month of February and is marked by pleasant and enjoyable climate. July to March is the best time to visit the beach town of Digha. During this time, you can indulge in both sightseeing and water sports.

Regional Setting & Geogology
The occurrence of heavy cyclone, at least once in every alternate year, is a regular feature of this region and is about 4 times higher than the Arabian Sea. The high intensity cyclonic storms generally originate in the upper Bay of Bengal within 200 km. to 500 km. from the shore line during the pre-monsoon (April-May) or post monsoon (September-October) period.

REGIONAL SETTING
Digha Planning Area lies in the south-western corner of Midnapore District, West Bengal. It is a coastal tract adjoining the Bay of Bengal in the South and the border of West Bengal- Orissa in the east, covering an area of 37.00 sq.km.

The Planning area comprises 42 mouzas under Contai Sub-division, of which 17 are in Ramnagar P.S. in the east and 25 are in Digha P.S. in the west. The total population of the planning area is 22386, of which 9137 are in Ramnagar P.S. and 13249 are in Digha P.S. as per provisional 1991 census.

Digha - Shankarpur is accessible by road from Calcutta (187 km.) by following N.H. 6 upto Kolaghai, then N.H. 41 upto Mandakuma initially and then by State High Way (SH 4) diverting from N.H. near Nanda Kumar. The area may also be approached by the railways upto Kharagpur and then by road (123 km.) in Digha.

GEOLOGY
This littoral tract consists of sand, silt and clay covering successively by beach, zone of dunes and interdune belts of recent formation; however in the Shankarpur area the development of dune features is less conspicuous, geologically there are marine origin together with some fluviatile and Aeolian sediment. To the north of dune belt there lies the older Pleistocene formation.

Physiography
The general surface of the region is more or less flat with a very gentle gradient towards the Bay, embankments made for protection from high tide waves and the sand ridges are the only exception.

At Digha proper the beach is slightly less-wide and widens eastward to a width of ever a kilometre.

The sand dunes are the most outstanding morphological feature of the tract. This dune belt runs almost parallel to the present shore line, though the width and height vary from place to place. These dunes generally rise upto 12 metres, though the height decreases towards the east.

The inter-dune tract is flat and generally dry. The dunes may shift their location under the influence of strong summer winds. The consistent wind direction at least during the summer monsoon is one of the chief factors of their origin and they are transverse in type. With increasing distance from sea the character of the dunes changes. They are more stable and more under vegetation cover towards north.

The Digha coast is severely eroded by increasing sea winds. It is also threatened by dune migration. An attempt has been made to construct long bloder-dyke on the limit of wave approach but the system is not suitable to prevent the natural dynamics of sea. For the stabilisation of the dunes casurinea trees are planted on them, however large casurina trees are not much suitable in the cyclone-prone coast as most of the larger casurina trees are uprooted by storms in cyclone.

The planning region is divided by a tidal creek flowing southward between the villages Mukandapur and Shankarpur in the coastal part of the planning area. A small stream originates in the planning area west of tidal creek and flows in a meandering course coastward to meet the creek. The tidal creek as well as the tributary of the creek mentioned above is embraced by embankments to protect the settlements and agricultural fields from periodic floods. There are a few sluices to drain the water out of the embankments. The land in between the bunds and that between the bund and the southern dunes in the central and south central part of the planning area are especially low-lying and are subject to periodic flooding.


Location

Digha Sankarpur Planning Area lies in the South-Western corner of Purba Medinipur District. It is a coastal tract adjoining Bay of Bengal in the south and bordering Orissa in the West.


Connectivity

By Road:
Digha is connected to Kolkata via SH-4, NH-41 and then NH-6. The alternative access to Digha is to travel along NH-6 up to Kharagpur and take the road to Digha via Egra and Depal (SH-5). Tourists from other parts of the State like Bardhaman, Durgapur, Asansol, Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia and beyond come to Kharagpur by State Highways and major roads making Kharagpur (falling in Paschim Medinipur district) an important hub for visitors to Digha in Purba Medinipur district.

The recent improvement in road connectivity due to four-laning of NH-6 and NH-41 has shortened the journey time from Kolkata to Digha-Sankarpur to a great extent. One can travel by car from Dum Dum Airport via Kaji Najrul Islam Road, EM Bye Pass, Park Circus Connector, Park Circus Flyover, the Second Hugli Bridge, Kona Expressway, NH-6, NH-41, SH-4 and reach Digha within 4 hrs.

Route 1. Kolkata-Howrah-Mechheda-Norghat-Contai-Ramnagar-Digha: 187 km.
Route 2. Kolkata-Deulti-Kolaghat-Kharagpur-Digha: 243 km.
Route 3. Tarakeswar-Harinkhola-Arambag-Vishnupur-Kharagpur-Digha: 355 km.
Regular direct buses are available from Kolkata to Digha.
C.S.T.C. Express buses ply from Esplanade (Kolkata) from 06:30 hours to 10:00 hours.
Luxury buses from West Bengal Tourist Bureau, 3/2 B.B.D.Bagh departs daily at 07:00 hours.

By Rail:
With the opening of railway line between Tamluk and Digha under South-Eastern Rly. Div., this Planning Area now has a Rly. Stn. at Digha linking it by rail to Kolkata and Kharagpur and therefrom to the Southern, northern and western parts of India.

By Air:
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (Dum Dum) near Kolkata is the nearest airport for this Planning Area. The airport is about 200 kms. by road from Digha. A proposal to develop a small airport at Sankarpur beach has been mooted subject to the clearance of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Land for this purpose has been earmarked in the Master Plan of Digha and Sankarpur.