Several barrages at Jaldah which had recently been repaired were breached and many motorboats broke down in North 24-Parganas because of the heavy downpour
Anshuman Phadikar, Digha: A bout of heavy rainfall early on Tuesday left parts of coastal East Midnapore heavily inundated, with activities in the tourist towns of Digha, Mandarmani and Tajpur being brought to a standstill.
Several barrages at Jaldah which had recently been repaired were breached. Many motorboats broke down in North 24-Parganas because of the downpour and high tides.
“In one particular instance, a broken-down motorboat hailing from Namkhana almost capsized while drawing close to Digha for shelter. Fortunately, our civic volunteers were able to rescue four fishermen who fell off the boat,” said an East Midnapore district official.
Two of the fishermen were admitted to Digha State General Hospital with pneumonic symptoms.
Sources said officials had imposed total restrictions on tourist activities at Old Digha and New Digha through late on Wednesday when the new moon tides are predicted to abate.
“We did not even allow people near the beach today. The high tides are owing to the Kousiki Amavasya,” said Ramnagar I block development officer, Bishnupada Ray.
The lone death recorded during the squall was at Moyna, where pedestrian Manas Dhara, 45, succumbed to head injuries from a falling tree trunk.
“Tides today went as high as 30 feet. We cannot afford further risks in this regard. So, we are keeping a very close watch till Thursday. Outdoor tourism activities will remain suspended,” Ray said.
The sources said several seaside hotels, especially those at Old Digha, were damaged on Tuesday morning.
“Fewer tourists came in the past weekend, apprehending bad weather. Today’s damage is much more extensive than what has been reported across the district till now,” said East Midnapore district disaster management official, Mrityunjay Haldar.
In South 24-Parganas, over 50 villages were flooded when several barrages, particularly those at Namkhana, which had not been repaired after Cyclone Yaas, were breached by rushing water from the high tide and continuous rain. Sagar Island, Kakdwip and Gosaba were particularly affected.
“There is a risk of further flooding until Thursday. We have started marking out the embankments that are at particular risk,” said an irrigation department official.
Irrigation minister Saumen Mahapatra admitted that the overtopping of the embankment had contributed to flooding and said work would be taken up on a priority basis once the weather improved.
“We are yet to receive reports of breached embankments on a massive scale. We have told irrigation department officials to keep us posted on all developments,” he said.
Additional reporting by Snehamoy Chakraborty
