Fear of fresh floods grips East Midnapore

23 September 2011

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK, 23 SEPT: When the scars of previous two floods are still alive, residents of East Midnapore are now fearing another devastating flood just ahead of Durga Puja as Chandil and DVC dams have announced they would release about two lakh cusecs of water due to heavy downpour in the upper catchment areas of the rivers since yesterday.
The district administration has already sounded an alert. People have been asked to move in higher places in view of massive discharge from the dams. People living in low-lying areas of Pataspur-I and Egra-I blocks have already shifted to safe places, but more blocks are likely to be affected if there is more discharge.
The chief minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee, has already urged local agencies and clubs to assist district officials in shifting people to safe areas. “We will take measures to tackle any adversity, but we would like everyone to pitch in so that people living in low-lying areas don’t get into trouble,” said Mamud Hossain, saha-sabhadhipati of zilla-parishad. 
He said: “All government departments like irrigation, civil defence, disaster management have been asked to be in touch and review the situation continuously. All panchayats and panchayat samiti sabhapatis have already been cautioned about the situation.”
According to irrigation department officials, most of the rivers like Rupnarayan, Kanshabati, Keleghai, Subarnarekha, Chandia and Tapsi are flowing above the danger level at many places and if these rivers start overflowing, vast areas of Pataspur-I and II, Bhagwanpur-I and II, Chandipur, Moyna, Panskura, Kolaghat, Egra-I and Ramnagar-I blocks will be inundated.
Mr Hossain said: “To combat the situation, our chief minister Miss Banerjee has already held a meeting with the Jharkhand chief secretary today. The state chief secretary, Mr Samar Ghosh, also held a meeting with home secretary Mr GD Gautama to discuss the matter before taking it up with the Jharkhand chief secretary.”
In the past floods, major sections of embankments of the Rupnarayan, Haldi, Kansabati, Silai, Chandia, Keleghai and Bagui rivers were badly damaged and these still continue to haunt local residents.
“As these river banks were not repaired before the monsoon, vast swathes of the district were inundated this year also and people residing in these areas are worried over the matter,” Mr Narayan Chandra Nayek, convener of the Bonya Bhangan Committee, said.
Floods have become an annual feature in both East and West Midnapore districts over decades now. The Keleghai, Kapaleswari, Bagui and Kangsabati rivers overflow every year. Vast stretches of about 200 moujas of Kolaghat, Panskura, Tamluk and Sahid Matangini blocks often remain submerged for over three months once the region gets flooded during late monsoon because the two water outlets in the area ~ the Soadighi canal and the Gangakhali canal ~ remain choked throughout the year owing to heavy silt on the canal beds which are never cleaned.