North Bengal gears up for tackling floods

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 23: The Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner will hold a meeting on 29 May in Jalpaiguri to review the flood protection measures in North Bengal, officials said here today. The district magistrates of all the six districts of North Bengal, irrigation officials and departmental officials concerned of the region have been instructed to attend the meeting in Jalpaiguri. Before attending the meeting of the divisional commissioner, the district magistrates will also hold a flood control meeting in their respective districts, officials said. The Malda district magistrate has called a meeting on 25 May to review flood protection measures to be adopted this year in this district. The Malda district administration could not build the proposed ninth retired embankment in the last three years and last year it was decided that the administration will carry out this job ignoring the villagers’ protest to save the people from flood waters coming from Ganges which can affect thousands of people in seven blocks of the district. Owing to villagers’ protest and due to apparent reluctance of a group of political leaders, the administration could not acquire land for the construction of the proposed ninth retired embankment. The eighth retired embankment was breached a few years back due to severe erosion and at present there is no protection in the area stretching up to 400 metres in Panchanandapur area on the left bank of the Ganges in Kaliachak II. To prevent flood in the southern part of this district, irrigation officials have planned to fill the gap of 400-metres stretch temporarily, connecting remaining part of the eight retired embankment from Balufara to Paglaghaat. Irrigation officials have also devised an alternative plan to save the district from floods by the Ganges. Dumping gunny bags, the height of a 1.2 km long PWD road will be raised for protection from flood waters in a particular mouth down stream of the Ganges. “We have sought permission from our higher authorities for executing the job on an emergency basis after observing the rising trend of the water level of the Ganges from Patna in Bihar to Farakka,” said Mr Soumen Misra, executive engineer, Malda irrigation division.