Statesman News Service
MALDA, 4 JUNE: The Malda district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh has urged the Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) to look into the problem of erosion and to finish proper anti-erosion work on the left bank of the Ganga to save the present embankments from flooding.
After a preparatory meeting for flood and disaster management, the district magistrate talked to the authorities of the FBP, a Central government unit, over the phone and sent a letter to them pointing out the problem on the left bank of the Ganga in Manikchak, English Bazaar, as well as Kaliachak II and III.
At a recent meeting, the executive engineer of the irrigation department in Malda pointed out some vulnerable and erosion-prone zones along the left bank of the river Ganga and explained how flood waters may gush into protected areas, breaching the existing embankments at Manikchak and Kaliachak II areas, if the FBP does not take up anti-erosion work covering the vulnerable zones.
The Malda district magistrate said: “I have spoken to the FBP authorities regarding the problem. They are carrying out anti-erosion work in the vulnerable zone on the left bank of the Ganga within their jurisdiction in Malda district. They ensured me that they would complete the ongoing work by 15 June.”
The block development officials had also pointed to the vulnerable position of a 12 km long afflux embankment from Farakka to Sultantola in Kaliachak II block, which needs to be maintened for flood protection.
“No maintenance work has been done in the afflux embankment in the last few years. The area is under the jurisdiction of the FBP. The FBP engineers need to inspect the embankment properly to take up maintenance work now, as there are several ‘rat holes’ in the embankment. It could be breached at any time if it is attacked by flood waters,” said Mr Soumen Misra, executive engineer, irrigation department.
The district magistrate said the Mahananda embankment division has taken up anti-erosion work not only on the bank of the Ganga, but also to protect the embankment on the Fulohar bank at Bhaluka in the district.
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