Jalpaiguri: A high-level flood control meeting was convened in Jalpaiguri on Tuesday, ahead of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s administrative review at Uttarkanya. The pre-monsoon preparedness session, held at the Irrigation Bhavan, focused on potential flood risks across Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar districts and the Siliguri subdivision.
The Teesta River remains a major concern for flood management authorities. Following the 2023 lake outburst disaster in Sikkim, large volumes of sand and pebbles have raised the riverbed significantly in the plains, especially from Sevoke to Jalpaiguri and the Mekhliganj subdivision in Cooch Behar. Engineers warned that even a moderate volume of water could now lead to serious flooding if heavy rainfall occurs simultaneously in the hills and plains.
Officials also highlighted changes in the river’s course — with the Teesta veering right near Laltong and Salugara and shifting left near Hela Pakri and Bakali — further increasing the risk to vulnerable areas.
Chief Engineer of the Eastern-Northeastern Division of the Irrigation department, Krishnendu Bhowmik, said: “The state Irrigation department has instructed the State Mineral Development Corporation to begin dredging by removing sand and pebbles from the Teesta. However, this is unlikely to start before the onset of this monsoon.”
Bhowmik further informed that 150 flood protection projects, worth Rs 76 crore, are nearing completion in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar. “Recent rainfall due to a low-pressure system caused temporary delays, but all works are expected to be completed within this month,” he said.
In attendance were representatives from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Central Water Commission (CWC). Bhowmik noted that rainfall data will be exchanged through 10 rain gauge stations of the Irrigation Department, 30 in Sikkim and 60 under the IMD network.
Mohammad Washim, an engineer from the Jalpaiguri-based Brahmaputra Division of the CWC, added: “We also share rainfall data from four monitoring stations in Bhutan with the Irrigation department.”