Bengal-Bihar flood situation critical; Mamata says Centre not helping

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has described the flood situation in the northern districts of West Bengal as “alarming” and claimed that the state has been deprived of central assistance to deal with the natural calamity.

She said on Sunday (September 29) that her government was dealing with the deluge on a war footing.

“North Bengal is reeling under flood. Districts such as Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar have been affected. Due to heavy rain in the catchment areas of Kosi river, places in Bihar, and Malda and Dakshin Dinajpur districts of West Bengal will be affected in the near future,” she said on her way to Siliguri.

“Centre did not take up Farakka barrage maintenance work”

Accusing the Centre of not helping the state fight the calamities, she said, “It did not take up maintenance work of the Farakka barrage, and its water-bearing capacity has reduced to a great extent despite our repeated reminders.”

On Sunday evening, Mamata held a review meeting in Siliguri with senior officers of the state government and took stock of the evolving situation.

Following the meeting, when reporters asked whether she would reach out to the Centre again, she said, “If I write to the PM, one of his ministers will reply. This is not correct. (Maybe) I will then correct that again and send another letter.”

Mamata has written twice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the flood broke out in the state.

Also read: Bengal floods | 'Not consulted on water release by DVC': Mamata writes to PM Modi again

Alert in 6 north Bengal districts

The chief minister said an alert had been issued for six districts, including Malda, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, and Coochbehar, as water was being released from a barrage on the Kosi.

“Not only Bengal, Bihar also faces the threat of flood. We have posted senior officers in each of these districts to monitor the situation. We will be on alert till October 2. We urge the people and puja committees to be with the flood-hit people at this time,” she said.

Interacting with reporters at the Kolkata airport on the way to Siliguri, the CM alleged that BJP leaders visit West Bengal “only during polls but forget about the state when it matters most”.

“Only Bengal is being deprived of flood grants,” she claimed.

Landslides in Darjeeling

The state government, on its part, has been “dealing with the situation on a war footing and launched a public address system for evacuation of people living near rivers to safer places”, she said.

To a question, the chief minister said the Darjeeling Hills are affected by massive landslides and the state administration with the help of the Army is working to restore road connectivity.

Mamata said while two persons drowned after their boats toppled in swirling flood waters recently, two other migrant labourers also died in the calamity. Referring to the deaths of four members of a family in Jalpaiguri by electrocution, she asked everyone to remain alert.

Deadline for crop insurance extended

To ensure farmers don’t incur losses, she said her government has extended the deadline for getting crop insurance till October 31.

Mamata said she will continue to monitor the flood situation in both southern and northern parts of the state.

“Durga Puja is coming. It is a big festival but we must not forget those reeling under the floods. And, also, we want peace to prevail,” she added.

Also read: Bihar: Flood alert following heavy discharge of water from Birpur, Valmikinagar barrages

Bihar flood situation critical

The flood situation in Bihar also remains critical, as embankment breaches have been reported along several rivers, particularly impacting districts near the Indo-Nepal border.

The Birpur barrage on the Kosi in Bihar released 6.61 lakh cusecs of water, marking the highest discharge in 56 years. “This level of discharge is unprecedented, as the last recorded maximum was 7.88 lakh cusecs in 1968,” noted the Water Resources Department in Bihar.

Similarly, Valmikinagar barrage on Gandak released 5.62 lakh cusecs, the highest since 2003. As a precaution, traffic near Kosi barrage has been halted to ensure public safety.

Embankments breached

On Sunday, a breach occurred in the embankment of Bagmati River at Madhkaul village in Sitamarhi, while the Gandak river’s left bank embankment in West Champaran was damaged due to excessive water pressure, resulting in floodwaters entering the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, officials said.

Despite some water levels receding in smaller rivers, the situation remains dire for over 16 lakh people affected by flooding, with no fatalities reported so far, officials have said.

Incidents of water flowing above the embankments were also reported from Valmikinagar and Kiratpur in Darbhanga on Sunday.

Alert in several districts

“The water levels of Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamla Balan and Mahananda, Bagmati and Ganga have been rising across the state, following continuous rainfall over the past two-three days. Incessant rainfall in the catchment areas of Nepal has led to rivers touching or flowing above the danger level at several places in the bordering districts,” said Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary.

Following heavy discharge of water from Birpur and Valmikinagar barrages, excess river water entered low-lying areas of West and East Champaran, Gopalganj, Araria, Supaul, Katihar, Purnea and several other districts, officials said.

An alert has already been sounded for several districts as the IMD predicted heavy rain and warned of flash flood risk in parts of the state.

(With agency inputs)