Dyke to be flattened in Ratua after floods

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 27 AUG: The district administration has decided to flatten an embankment in Debipur gram panchayat in Ratua-I block to relieve more than 1,790 families rendered homeless and trapped by stagnant flood water from the Fulohar river since Sunday.

The Malda district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh today held a meeting with the irrigation and other concerned officials and asked the Ratua-I block development officer to hold an all-political party meeting by this evening to adopt a resolution to flatten the dyke and clear the stagnant water.

Arguing that floodwater would destroy their dwellings were the dyke flattened, the villagers have been opposing the administration’s bid to level it since Thursday night. The executive engineer, irrigation division, Mr S Misra, who has taken additional charge of the Mahananda embankment division recently ultimately had to point out the problems arising out of stagnant water.

According to Mr Misra, the locals have been guarding the embankment day and night so that the local administrative official could not flatten the dyke. They also went to the extent of damaging a police jeep when the administration had earlier tried to level the dyke to let out the stagnant water.

According to the Chanchal SDO, Miss Debjani Datta, 1,450 families have been confined in their homes in Harishchandrapur-II block due to floodwater and 1,790 families were rendered homeless at Debipur gram panchayat in Ratua-I block.

The block officials have started distribution of relief material among the affected. Irrigation officials said that water level in the Fulohar has receded by noon today and is expected to go down further in the next 48 hours.

“To prevent flood water in the next spell we need to build another guard wall at Bhaluka. Constructing it would be difficult without clearing the stagnant water and for that we have to flatten the embankment at Debipur,” Mr Misra said. The irrigation officials fear the next spell of flood would come around September. “It is imperative we take precautionary measures now and construct the guard wall,” Mr Misra said.

Chanchal flood situation improves

Press Trust of India

Malda, 27 AUG: The flood situation in Chanchal Sub-Division of Malda district has improved with the water level of Fulohar decreasing, official sources said today.

The water level of Fulohar river has decreased and there has been an improvement in the flood situation and the red signal has been withdrawn from the protected area, sources said.

The Executive Engineer of the Mahananda Embankment Division Mr BN Das was today told by the government to proceed on one month leave, superintendent engineer of Malda, Mr Mohanlal Mitra said.

There were reports that Mr Das was not prompt in attending to the flood situation, so he was asked to go on leave, Mr Mitra said.

Mr Mitra added that it was decided that the damaged portion of the emabankment would be repaired immediately.