JOIN USHeavy rainfall since Saturday disrupted normal life in the two northern Bengal districts of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, as large parts were inundated. Burdwan in south Bengal, considered the state’s rice bowl, however, faced prolonged dry weather and lack of rains, affecting crop production to a significant extent.
In north Bengal, flooding took place even though the rainfall has been less than the average long-term volume recorded during this time of the year. Experts, however, feel that the inundation is primarily due to poor management, which has reduced the water-retaining capacity of rivers due to heavy siltation.
Going by numbers, although the region received deficient rainfall, the rain has already left large tracts of land flooded in sub-Himalayan Bengal, putting the area’s agriculture-based economy in peril.
The government has already issued a red alert after consulting river movement expert Dr Kalyan Rudra and others that the region’s rivers, are flowing down from eastern Himalayas.
According to official figures, around 3 lakh people are stuck in the inundated areas, living in water-logged homes. “What adds to our worries is that fresh and heavy downpour is being predicted over the next 48 hours by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at Hyderabad.