Flood situation improves marginally, dist admin uses speed boat to reach cut off places

Kolkata: Vast areas in three districts of Bengal /remained inundated though the overall flood situation has improved. The release of water from the dams was also considerably less on Thursday.

The district administration in Hooghly was able to reach the remote villages in Khanakul II block in speed boats that had remained cut off because of massive waterlogging.

SDO Arambag led a team from the district administration in presence of NDRF and distributed dry food and water pouches in a number of villages in Khanakul II block. Nine of the 11 blocks that comprise of 60 villages were badly affected and have remained heavily inundated till Wednesday posing a hurdle to the district administration to reach put with food and drinking water. Choppers dropped emergency food supplies in the affected areas but it was not adequate.

At least one lakh people have been moved to safety from Khanakul in Hooghly district alone after their houses were damaged.

Meanwhile, NDRF on Thursday morning rescued an octogenarian lady and made arrangements for her last rites with the help of local administration.

The woman had died of age related ailments at Seyagari area at Amta in Howrah on Wednesday.

The NDRF had gone to the area with speed boats for rescue operation when they learnt of the death of the elderly woman.

At least 59 villages in Udaynarayanpur spanned across 6

Gram Panchayats area have been affected. 29 relief camps have been set up.

The district administration also managed to reach with water pouches in Ghatal where embankments along the Silabati and Buriganga rivers were breached in at least ten places.

Four blocks of Ghatal sub-divisions-Daspur-1, Ghatal, Chandrakona-1, Chandrokona-2 — and all the wards of Ghatal municipality, and at least four wards of Kharar municipality have been inundated.

Meanwhile, a couple died due to wall collapse at Garbeta II block in West Midnapore on Wednesday night amidst heavy rain. 40,000 cusec of water was scheduled to be released by DVC on Wednesday but later around 25,000 cusec was released. 55,000 cusec was released from Durgapur Barrage.

About 23 people have died either due to wall collapse or drowning or lightning or electrocution and two died of landslides in Kalimpong.

The state Disaster Management department has sent 2 lakh tarpaulins, 1,800 MT rice and 35,000 garments to the affected areas on Wednesday.

At least 1.17 lakh people were evacuated so far from the affected areas.

Around 4 lakh hectare of agricultural land went under water.

This comes when sowing of seeds for paddy cultivation was complete in 60 percent of the agricultural fields in the affected areas.