Alipurduar/Jalpaiguri/ Cooch Behar: There has been no rainfall in Bhutan and the adjacent areas since Thursday night, leading to an improvement in the flood situation in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts.
The water level of rivers has started decreasing. However, the rivers in Cooch Behar have inundated several areas of the district.
To restore road communication between India and Bhutan, a diversion was made on the Gobar Jyoti river in Jaigaon Bebarey area of Alipurduar district. Restoration work has started on the approach road of the bridge that was washed away on Asian Highway No. 48 during Thursday’s flash flood in Bebarey area. The Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rainfall warning until Saturday.
Surendra Kumar Meena, the District Magistrate of Alipurduar, stated: “Our team has already begun work in several areas. Restoration work near GST-More in Jaigaon is in progress.”
In Jalpaiguri, the flood situation has started to normalise in areas, including Binnaguri, Banarhat, Gayarkata, and Dhupguri as there has been no heavy rain since Thursday night.
The river water has started receding in Angrabhasha, Dudua, Gilandi, and Koli rivers. The District Irrigation Department’s flood control has informed that the red signal has been removed and is now yellow in the protected area of Jaldhaka river on NH 31, as well as the unprotected area from Domhani to the Bangladesh border on Teesta river.
The Jalpaiguri district administration has successfully rescued several hundred people from flood-prone areas and provided them with shelter. They started returning home since Friday morning.
Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Moumita Godara stated: “We are taking no risks. All BDOs have been advised to remain alert. Those who were brought to flood shelters have been provided with three meals along with dry food.”
IMD records highlight that Jalpaiguri received 132 mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
The road in front of Jalpaiguri Super Specialty Hospital was submerged owing to heavy rains. The local residents, frustrated with the garbage-filled drain causing further issues, launched a road block but later lifted the blockade after assurance from the local Panchayat member of cleaning the drainage canal. Continuous rainfall since Thursday night has led to a rise in the water levels of several rivers in Cooch Behar, including Torsa, Jaldhaka, and Raidak. This has resulted in a flood situation, with water entering people’s houses in the areas adjacent to the rivers. In Dinhata subdivision of Cooch Behar district, the dam of Dharla river is damaged leading to further inundation.
Gitaldah-2 GP in Dinhata-1 block has been severely affected and two villages of Jaridharla, near the India-Bangladesh border were cut off from the Indian mainland.