The rising water level of the Ganga has crossed the extreme danger level in Malda district of West Bengal submerging vast areas in several villages affecting a population of nearly 20,000, a district official said today.
Additional District Magistrate, Malda, Kanchan Chowdhury said the rise in the water level of the river was due to the release of 10 lakh cusecs of water from the Sone dam in Uttar Pradesh.
The badly affected areas are Kalichak Block number 3, Pardewanapur-Shobhapur gram panchayat and Birnagar gram panchayat, the ADM said.
The two gram panchayats have already been affected due to land erosion. Half of the area in Paranupnagar village has already been eroded, Chowdhury said, adding that roads had also been affected in the district due to the flooding.
In Manikchak block, 10 villages have also been affected, the ADM said.
Control rooms have been opened at the gram panchayat, block and district levels and villagers have been alerted last night. The district administration was keeping constant vigil and arrangements are being made to distribute tarpaulin and dry food among the affected. Flood centres will also be opened, Chowdhury added.
The state Irrigation department has alerted the district administration to take all necessary steps to meet the situation.
The situation is further aggravated due to the
presence of an irrigation project barrage in Assam on the immediate downstream of the Assam-Arunachal border, Hemo claimed.
The presence of this barrage obstructs the smooth flow of debris during floods and it results in backwater swelling at the upstream of the barrage, he said.
Any breach would change the course of the river towards the left bank and Balijuri, Itakhola, Sootea, Jamugurihat areas of Assam including railway lines, National Highway 15 and Pakke-Seijosa-Itakhola NEC road would be badly affected, Hemo claimed.
To mitigate the situation there is a need to construct a three km guide wall on the immediate upstream left bank of the barrage to prevent floodwater breach along the low lying natural bank, he said.
River training and canalisation for three km at the upstream of the barrage will prevent meandering and braiding of the river, Hemo added.
