Midnapore braces for flood

The deep depression has weakened and moved inward but the heavy downpour continues and has lashed several districts,including East Midnapore,Bankura,Hooghly ,Burdwan and Darjeeling in the north.

Throughout the day,the special committee constituted by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee monitored the situation and instructed all district officials to coordinate relief work on a war footing.

Irrigation Minister Manas Bhuniya confirmed that at several places heavy rainfall has caused severe damage to houses and embankments.

“At nearly 77 places in Arambagh and Uluberia,reports of land caving in have come. Breaches in the embankments are being repaired at 400 places in South 24-Parganas and 185 places in North 24-Parganas,” said Bhuniya.

He also confirmed that four blocks in East Midnapore have been severely affected with people being slowly evacuated from water logged areas to higher places.

Commerce and Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee,meanwhile,said the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has sought permission to release 30,000 cusecs of water in intermittent phases. He added that the DVC authorities have been instructed to maintain coordination with the concerned district administration to avoid over flowing of the rivers in the affected areas.

Sources in DVC,however,said that it has already released 30,000 cusecs from Panchet dam and will likely start to release water on Monday night .

In East Midnapore,500 families have been evacuated. “In Maina,Tamluk,Kolaghat and Panshkura blocks,the situation has aggravated further with water entering 30 more villages,” said Ramkrishna Mandal,ADM ( Dev),East Midnapore.

In West Midnapore,several blocks in Daspur I and II and Ghatal are fully waterlogged. “We are primarily taking measures to avoid spread of any epidemics. 25,000 drinking water pouches have been distributed and 10,000 families have been provided dry food and shelter. We fear that in case of any release of water from the dams,the situation could worsen,” said a senior district official.

In Bankura ,Murshidabad ,South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas,the situation has improved with water receding from several inundated areas. The Met Department has predicted heavy rainfall in the foothills of Darjeeling and Kolkata.

With PTI inputs