At least 35,000 people evacuated; 9 dead; CM takes updates from Chief Secretary

Kolkata: The state government has already evacuated at least 35,000 people from the coastal and riverine areas as a preventive measure to check any untoward incident in case of more rainfall. At least 32,000 camps have already been opened in the affected districts. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took updates from Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi and directed him to take adequate steps to handle the situation at the ground level.

The District Magistrates (DMs) of the affected areas have been asked by the CS to prepare all relief materials and to take necessary arrangements. Four NDRF and five SDRF teams have already been made operational to check any untoward incident. Dwivedi held a meeting with the DMs of Hooghly, East Burdwan, West Burdwan, East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas on Saturday and issued necessary instructions to tackle the situation. Due to incessant rainfall water level is high in various rivers. The release of water from Panchet may further complicate the situation as the water would flow further downstream.

It takes around 36 hours for the water to reach Panchet after being released from Tenughat in Jharkhand. DMs have been directed to take preventive measures within the stipulated time.

Incessant rainfall over a span of two days starting from last Thursday still continues to disrupt normal life in various South Bengal districts with people witnessing water-logging in several stretches. The most affected districts are West Midnapore, Hooghly, Birbhum, West Burdwan and East Burdwan.

Due to the rise in the water level of various rivers accompanied by torrential rain over a span of two days, various places in these districts remained inundated on Saturday with people taking refuge in relief camps. No deaths have been reported in the state on Saturday. At least nine people died across Bengal after being electrocuted and due to the collapse of mud houses on Friday.

Incessant rainfall along with the release of water by the DVC flooded Baka River and this has affected huge farmlands in Memari Block II in East Burdwan. According to the district administration, around 102 Gram Panchayats, 900 mouzas have gone underwater. Around 1.02 lakh hector farmlands have been damaged and the extent of the damage of crops will be ascertained after the water recedes, a district official said. East Midnapore is one of the largest rice-producing districts in the state. Senior administrative officials on Saturday visited the affected areas.

In another development, a portion of ECL Colliery 10 caved in prompting senior officials to rush to the spot. The incident occurred at Khas Kajra area under Andal police station in West Burdwan on Friday night. Some stretches of Labhpur-Katwa state highway in Birbhum were inundated as the nearby Kuye river over-flooded. Huge portions of cultivated land remained inundated in Hooghly's Goghat. Nakunda and Bali Gram Panchayats are among the most affected areas. No major rainfall occurred in the district on Saturday but the water is receding very slowly. Dwarkeswar river embankments over-flooded resulting in the inundation of several wards under the Arambag municipality. Arambag-Kolkata state highway also got flooded. Some places in Howrah's Dumurjola remained inundated on Saturday. Due to power cuts, pumps could not be used to discharge accumulated water.

In West Midnapore, various parts of Chandrkona, Daspur, Ghatal remained inundated. Shilabati river embankments were damaged leading to the inundation of 50 villages. The NDRF had rescued many people from the affected areas of West Midnapore and Bankura.

Some parts of Ekbalpore remained inundated while East–West Road in Tikiapara also remained underwater on Saturday. National Highway 10 that connects Sikkim with Siliguri was thrown open for traffic on Saturday after it was closed following landslides near Kalimpong.