Bengal Government Issues Flood Alert for Seven Districts Due to Heavy Rain Forecast till October 5
Bengal Government Issues Flood Alert for Seven Districts Due to Heavy Rain Forecast:The Meteorological Department has forecasted heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) in Jharkhand until October 5. This prediction has prompted the Bengal government to issue an alert for seven districts: West Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, East Burdwan, West Midnapore, Hooghly, and Howrah.
Historically, the state has faced floods whenever the DVC released additional water from the Durgapur Barrage. This time, the likelihood of such releases is high due to the heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Maithan dam, as explained by a senior official. Currently, the water inflow into Maithon Dam stands at 60,000 cusecs, and Panchet Dam at 73,000 cusecs.
At 9 am on Monday, both of these dams released 1 lakh cusecs of water, with the potential for an increase to 1.5 lakh cusecs. If this occurs, it could lead to significant problems for several downstream districts.
The authorities have recommended the following measures:
- Immediate Evacuation: Evacuating residents in low-lying areas of the districts to safer locations, including flood shelters, should begin without delay.
- Embankment Vigilance: Close monitoring of vulnerable embankments is essential. If any breaches are detected, immediate steps should be taken to repair them.
- Adequate Relief Supplies: Districts should maintain sufficient relief materials to efficiently address the situation should a flood-like scenario arise.
- Coordination: Executive engineers from the irrigation department should maintain close communication with district authorities to ensure constant monitoring of all river embankments.
State administration sources have noted that during past festive seasons, authorities have sometimes been lax, leading to hardships for the general public during floods. However, this time, the Chief Minister is determined to keep the authorities vigilant due to the threatening weather conditions. She aims to prevent any room for criticism from the Opposition, especially with the Lok Sabha polls approaching, should Bengal experience flooding.
