Kolkata, 19 August (H.S.) : The flood situation in parts of West Bengal’s West Midnapore district has deteriorated, with floodwaters affecting all 13 gram panchayats in Sabang and thousands of people impacted by the rising Keleghai and Subarnarekha rivers.

Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari is scheduled to visit the flood-hit areas on Thursday to assess the situation and meet affected residents. The worsening situation has also been reported in Narayangarh, Mohanpur, Dantan and Keshiary.

Two people, including a three-year-old boy, have drowned in separate incidents in Sabang amid the flooding.

West Midnapore District Magistrate Bijin Krishna reviewed the situation with senior administrative officials and local representatives on Tuesday. The district administration has intensified relief and rescue operations, providing dry food, cooked meals, drinking water and tarpaulins to affected residents.

Boats and tractors have also been deployed in areas where road connectivity has been disrupted by floodwaters.

Meanwhile, the situation in the lower Damodar basin has triggered fresh concerns after the Tenughat reservoir in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district increased its discharge sharply overnight from around 7,000 cusecs to 30,000 cusecs, according to a senior official of the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee.

“The release will reach Panchet in around 18 hours, forcing the dam to substantially increase its discharge from the current 29,000 cusecs,” said Sanjay Majumdar, Executive Engineer, Damodar Headworks, state Irrigation Department.

The increased discharge has raised concerns in downstream districts, including East Burdwan, Hooghly and Howrah.

Officials said the slow-moving depression over the region had provided temporary relief to the upper dams at Panchet and Maithon for nearly two days. However, heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas has once again caused the river levels to rise.

The Barakar, the largest tributary of the Damodar, was flowing at 456.03 feet on Wednesday afternoon, a level described as alarming for the Durgapur Barrage. Officials of the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee warned that the situation could change rapidly depending on rainfall and reservoir releases.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh