‘Repair work begins after Lis River Dam breach’

Jalpaiguri: The Jalpaiguri district Irrigation department has swiftly responded to the breach in the Lis River dam, a joint project of the National Highways and Railways authorities, after it caused flooding in Chanda Company Village of Bagrakote Gram Panchayat. Heavy rains in the Hills led to the dam’s breach, trapping 40 families under water on Tuesday.

Acting upon the district administration’s request, the Irrigation department commenced repair work on the 100-metre damaged section, beginning Tuesday and nearing completion by Wednesday.

Krishnaendu Bhowmik, Chief Engineer of the Northeast Division of the Irrigation department, said: “There would have been a problem if quick measures were not taken. Therefore, at the request of the district administration, the repair work was started on the orders of the higher authorities of the department. Initially, about 60 metres of the dam was broken. Over time, the extent of the damage increased to about 100 metres.

Work was started using boulder sandbags on the broken sections. After working all night, the water stopped. Although the work is still ongoing, the situation is now normal. However, to avoid such incidents in the future, the Lis River Dam needs more comprehensive repairs.”

Bhowmik added: “Due to continuous rains, several river embankments in the Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts have been damaged to varying degrees. Among these, eight embankments in Tufanganj, four along the Jalpaiguri Teesta River and multiple river dams in Alipurduar are being worked on. The biggest challenges are with the Gobar Jyoti stream from Bhutan in the Jaigaon area, Dhaola Jhora in Kumargram, Yogi Khola and Khar Khola in the Chamurchi area. The beds of these streams are much higher than the local villages and water can enter the villages at any time. Therefore, dredging of stream beds is being undertaken.”