Left bank of Ganga inundated

Statesman News Service

MALDA, July 20: A large part of unprotected area on the left of the Ganga was inundated rendering hundreds of families homeless in Manikchak, English Bazaar, Kaliachak II block areas today. The flood victims have been shifted to safer highlands since yesterday when the water level of the Ganges at Manikchak Ghaat crossed danger mark. “The water level of the Ganga is still rising and it will continue to rise till Tuesday crossing the ‘extreme danger level’ i.e. 25.29 metre at Manikchak Ghaat due to massive rainfall in the upper catchments,” said Mr Soumen Misra, executive engineer, Malda irrigation department. According to the irrigation department, the water level of the Ganges at Manikchak Ghaat is 25.20 metre this evening, just 9 cm below the ‘extreme danger level’ (EDL). On the left bank of the Ganga, flood waters inundated the unprotected areas from Manikchak to Kaliachak II and III areas in the down stream. The existing embankments including a dwarf embankment at Panchanandapur in Kaliachak II are preventing flood waters at present. The irrigation department is continuing maintenance work to save the dwarf embankment to prevent flood water from entering into the ‘protected country side’ in bid to save Malda district. Irrigation officials fear that if the water level of the Ganga continues to rise above the extreme danger level (EDL) the dwarf embankment may be breached. The district administration has requested the Farakka Barrage Project to keep a vigil on the newly constructed embankment at Shimultala in Kaliachak III to prevent flood water. More that fifty percent stretch of anti erosion work carried out by the Farraka Barrage Project at Domhaat in Manikchak block was damaged due to erosion this year. More than 100 families have been rendered homeless due to erosion in Manikchak block. Since yesterday, nearly 70 houses collapsed due to inundation of flood waters on the left bank of the Ganga in Manikchak and English Bazaar block areas, administrative officials said. In Kaliachak II many people living in the unprotected areas have been shifted to high lands and atop the existing embankment. Some islands in the mid Ganga have been inundated and people living on the islands have been shifted to safer areas. According to Mr Misra: “The water level of the Ganga in Gandhighaat, Kahelgaon, Munger and Bhagalpur in the upper catchments are still rising following massive rainfalls. We predict that water level of the Ganga here will cross ‘extreme danger level’ (EDL- 25.29) tomorrow."