Floodwaters submerge Bhutni during Durga Puja, over 200 families in crisis

Malda: The festive spirit of Durga Puja has dimmed in Malda’s Manikchak block, where Bhutni island reels under the double blow of floods and riverbank erosion. Across villages, the atmosphere that usually brims with celebration now echoes with the cries of the homeless and the despair of families struggling for food and shelter.

Large swathes of Bhutni remain waterlogged, with homes still submerged and families displaced. Many have taken refuge on embankments under makeshift tarpaulin shelters. In Kistopur alone, nearly 200 families are living in desperate conditions. Locals allege that relief has been scant. “We only received a packet of puffed rice once. Nobody came back to check on us. We don’t even have money for food, how will we buy new clothes for Puja?” lamented a flood-hit resident of Kistopur. Despite this grim reality, faith remains unshaken. Bhutni hosts around 21 community pujas and even in hardship, committees are determined to continue the rituals. With pandals still surrounded by stagnant floodwater, many idols will be placed on raised platforms within inundated courtyards.

“This year we may have to offer Pushpanjali while standing in waist-deep water. Still, we will worship the Mother and pray for Bhutni’s welfare,” said Samar Basak and Asim Mondal, organisers of the Dakshin Chandipur Viswabharati Sarbojanin Puja Committee. The image of Goddess Durga standing against a backdrop of floodwaters reflects the resilience of a community unwilling to surrender its traditions. Yet, for displaced families camped along embankments, Puja holds little cheer. They may not step into pandals but will fold hands from their temporary shelters, praying that the goddess protects them from further devastation.

Meanwhile, politics over the crisis has intensified. BJP’s South Malda general secretary Gour Chandra Mondal criticised the state government’s failure to provide lasting solutions. “This government has utterly failed to control erosion or provide adequate relief. Two embankments broke in succession and funds meant for flood protection are being looted,” he alleged.

In response, the Trinamool Congress defended the state administration while pointing fingers at the Centre. “The Bengal government is doing its best with limited resources to tackle the Ganga and Fulahar.

But the Central government refuses to step in with permanent measures here, though they are working in BJP-ruled states. This is an attempt to put Bengal’s people in peril,” said Subhamay Basu, TMC spokesperson .

As Bhutni struggles between faith and floods, this year’s Durga Puja is less about grandeur and more about survival—prayers rising from waterlogged courtyards and embankments, seeking divine intervention where human systems have failed.