BALURGHAT: In an effort to restore normalcy in flood-affected areas, repair work has commenced on the breached embankment of the Punarbhaba River in Gangarampur. The initiative has been taken to safeguard lives and prevent further damage as residents gradually return home after being displaced by floods.
Continuous heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas caused the Punarbhaba River to swell, leading to breaches in the embankment near Nandanpur Gram Panchayat of Gangarampur block. Nearly 40 metres of the embankment collapsed, flooding vast areas including Nandanpur, Amtolighat, Bashor, Sursuri and Gonahar along with parts of Gangarampur town such as Wards 5, 6, 7, 9, 14, and 15.
Several localities under Tapan block including Sutail, Kashbabati and Rampara-Chenchra were submerged, forcing families to seek shelter in safer places. District officials, police and civil defence personnel rushed to the spot to extend support and assistance to flood-affected villagers.
Dinajpur District Magistrate Bijin Krishna and Police Superintendent Chinmay Mittal visited the site for inspection.
Senior officials of the Irrigation department also joined the supervision process. Meanwhile, additional pumps have been deployed to drain water from the affected areas.
Speaking on the development, BDO (Block Development Officer) Arpita Ghosal of Gangarampur said: “The administration has taken swift action to restore normal life. Repairing the breached embankment is being carried out on a war footing. Once the situation stabilises, permanent solutions will be implemented to prevent such disasters in the future.” Authorities have assured that the embankment repair will be completed as quickly as possible to protect nearby villages from further inundation.