FLOOD SITUATION

Tista crosses danger mark, flood alert in Cooch Behar, Dooars

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 22: Torrential rainfall of past two days on the upper catchments areas and on the plains turned people of a vast area in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts panicky of probable flood. Water levels of all the rivers are rising in Cooch Behar and Dooars. The downpour is still continuing.

 

As the water level of Tista has crossed the danger mark yellow signal was flashed on the river at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar and Domohini in Jalpaiguri. In Mekhliganj the water level of Tista is rapidly increasing towards Red danger mark. The water levels of other rivers are still flowing below the danger mark in Cooch Behar district.

 

The rainfall recorded in the past 24-hours in Cooch Behar is 134-mm. It is 152-mm in Tufanganj and 69.80-mm in Mathabhanga during the same period. The officer-in-charge of disaster management department of Cooch Behar district, Mr Chiranjib Ghosh said the average rainfall till date in Cooch Behar and Tufanganj is more than that in the same period in the previous years except in Mathabhanga.

 

Mr Ghosh said, all the SDOs, BDOs and other personnel of concerned departments of Cooch Behar district were alerted. They were requested to keep constant vigil towards the situation. The Flood Control Room is functioning round-the-clock to monitor the changing situation of the rivers, he said.

 

On the otherhand, almost all the wards in Cooch Behar town turned waterlogged. Normal life is being disrupted due to incessant downpour. The overflowed Raidak-II turned Ghonapara and Mahishkuchi in Tufanganj sub-division submerged. Two flood rescue camps were opened there for the distressed people.

 

As the water levels of the rivers are rising in the Dooars the overflowed river water cut off Totopara and Jainti in Alipurduar sub-division of Jalpaiguri. About one-kilometre stretch of a road was breached at Uttar Haldibari in Kumargramduar. At Falakata the water level of Mujnai is flowing over the danger mark. Water level of Torsa is rapidly increasing to cross the danger mark in unprotected areas. []

  

PHOTO : Erosion of Torsa at Dalsingpara in Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri.