Irrigation dept enhances flood preparedness with advanced tech

Jalpaiguri: In addition to monitoring major rivers, the Irrigation department is extending its vigilance to the water levels of smaller rivers.

To achieve this, 10 Automatic Water Level Recorders (AWLR) are currently being installed in various rivers across Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and Siliguri in North Bengal ahead of the upcoming monsoon.

One such machine has already been deployed on the Subhash Bridge over the Karala River in Jalpaiguri town.

In recent years, North Bengal, including Jalpaiguri, has experienced incidents such as sudden rises in water levels and flash floods during the monsoon. Responding to this, the Irrigation department has taken a proactive approach by integrating advanced technology for early warnings. While major rivers like Teesta, Jaldhaka, Kaljani, and Torsha were traditionally monitored for water level fluctuations, the focus has now expanded to include smaller rivers.

This expansion aims to provide local and district administrations with advanced information on rising water levels, enabling them to take timely action.

The AWLR devices are equipped to automatically transmit information to a central data centre in Kolkata upon detecting abnormal water levels. The installation of these devices is strategically planned, covering key points such as the Karala and Dharla River Bridge in Jalpaiguri, Kaljani and Mujnai river bridges in Alipurduar, Torsha in Cooch Behar and Mahananda Bridge in Siliguri.

Additionally, installations are planned at prominent locations like Ambari Barrage, Mahananda Barrage, Dudhia Balasan Bridge, Gulma Mahananda Bridge, Panchai River Bridge at Mohargaon Tea Garden, and Dayna River Bridge at Changmari.

In addressing the challenge of assessing rainfall, the Irrigation department, which historically relied on the Meteorological department or other agencies for this data, is now establishing automatic rain gauge stations. The first such station has already been operationalised at the Banarhat Irrigation department bungalow in Jalpaiguri.

Krishnendu Bhowmick, Chief Engineer of the Northeast Division of the Irrigation department, highlighted: “The Irrigation department is harnessing modern technology to manage flood situations. The deployment of these machines is aimed at monitoring water level fluctuations in various rivers across North Bengal, including the Karala River.”