No respite from erosion

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 3: Erosion continues unabated along the banks of the Ganga at Sultantola and Laskoritola villages. Over 10 hectares of cropland was washed away in Kaliachak II block today. According to Mr D Roy, block development officer of Kaliachak II, erosion continues at Sultantola areas and the river has entered about a 100-metres inland. Huge volume of floodwater flowing down the central channel is continuously eroding away the banks at Sultantola and Laskoritola. “If the trend continues, it may wipe out major chunks of landmass in the area,” irrigation department officials, said. Observing the rising trend of water in the Ganga, the irrigation officials today informed the district administration that flood was feared under the present circumstances.” According to them, preventing flood waters discharged by the Ganga would prove difficult if the two-km long newly constructed dwarf embankment at Kaliachak II is eroded away. “The dwarf embankment from Sakurullahapur to Balukhara in Kaliachak II is on the brink of extinction. There is no safe distance between the bank line of the Ganga and the dyke,” said an administrative officer. “The water level in the Ganga would be rising for the next five days or so following floods in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The water level may touch the extreme danger level, 25.30 metres, at Manikchak Ghaat. “The water level of the Ganga was 24.74 metres at Manikchak ghaat around noon today,” said Mr S Misra, executive engineer, Malda irrigation division. The red signal is still on in the Fulahar river and the yellow signal is on for the protected areas on the bank of the Ganga for five blocks . Yesterday, the Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner Mr BL Meena, Malda district magistrate Mr CR Das and Malda police superintendent Mr DK Mondal held a meeting with irrigation department engineers to review flood situation in the district.