Hooghly, 13 July (H.S.) Continuous heavy rainfall and the rising water levels of rivers have submerged large parts of West Bengal’s West Medinipur and Howrah and Hooghly districts. A major portion of the Ghatal region is now underwater due to severe flooding. In the past 24 hours alone, two people have reportedly died in the floodwaters. Meanwhile, the situation in Hooghly’s Khanakul area is also deteriorating rapidly.

As the water levels of the Shilabati and Dwarkeshwar rivers surge, the Rupnarayan River has also swollen dangerously. Several river villages are now completely submerged. The worst-affected areas include Panshiuli, Radhakrishnapur, Basabati, and Garerghat, where hundreds of acres of agricultural land have gone underwater.

In Garerghat, water has flooded the roadway. There are no boats available, vehicles cannot pass, and walking has become hazardous.

Since Saturday, the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has been releasing water through the Mundeswari River, a tributary of the Damodar. This excess water is now flowing into the Rupnarayan via Khanakul’s Panshiuli. If the water release continues or increases, the situation may worsen significantly. Local residents fear a major disaster.

A local resident expressed deep concern over the rising water levels and said “If the water keeps rising like this, we’ll be in serious trouble. There are no boats, no vehicles, and even walking is impossible. The situation is very bad. We’ve seen big floods before, but this time, things are getting really frightening.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey