Statesman News Service
MALDA, 16 AUG: While the irrigation department’s Mahananda division failed to check erosion of the river Fulohar at the vulnerable zone in Bhaluka Bazaar under Harishchandrapur-I block, the district administration has started anti-erosion work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to save the existing embankment.
The existing embankment is standing on the brink of extinction at present in an alarming condition and the damaged embankment could be breached at any moment, close to a pond, and a ‘hydraulic gradient line’ will be failed at any time, the irrigation officials said.
The local administration yesterday alerted people to shift to safer places.
Erosion continues unabated today along its bank line due to the receding water level.
Yesterday, the water level was 27.15m but at noon today the flood control cell recorded the level as 26.65m.
The irrigation department fears that if the embankment is breached, a vast area of the northern part of this district will be inundated.
The executive engineer of the Mahananda division Mr BN Das said: “We had taken up palliative measures to arrest erosion. Our work will be ended tomorrow. At present the district administration has taken up erosion checking work under the NREGS.”
Interestingly, despite the district magistrate's instruction as to supervision of the work, the executive engineers are at present not interested in monitoring the anti-erosion work taken up by the district administration under the NREGS.
Though the Malda DM Mr Sridhar Ghosh wrote a letter to the executive engineer of Mahananda division, Mr Das said: “I am not looking after the ongoing work. The district has adequate engineers for the supervision of this work.”
The district has allotted Rs. 29.21 lakh just to ‘arrest’ severe erosion at Bhaluka Bazaar to save the existing embankment for flood protection.
Under the NREGS, thousands of gunny bags filled with sand will be dumped to arrest erosion.
At least 30-gunny bags full of sand in a crate will be dumped inside the river along the bank line to stop erosion so that the river can not eat into the present embankment. Labourers are working there day and night.
Besides, nearly Rs 7 lakh has been allotted from the NREGS for straightening and widening the embankment at Bhaluka Bazaar. Rs 3 lakh has been allotted to strengthen the embankment at Kahala in Ratua block.
The irrigation department had allotted Rs 20 lakh for taking up palliative measures there.
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