Malda Flood Fury… Historic Shiva Temple Washed Away
RSD_Malda, West Bengal: The Ganga river’s severe erosion has caused a major tragedy in Malda district, where a more than 150-year-old Shiva temple at Muliramtola village under Mahanandatola Gram Panchayat in Ratua-I Block was washed away on Sunday evening.
Eyewitnesses said the temple, which had been just 25 meters from the riverbank for the last two years, collapsed into the river in seconds. On Saturday, after a large portion of the bank caved in, villagers had placed hundreds of sandbags in a desperate attempt to save the shrine, but the barrier was swept away as the water level rose on Sunday.
The surge is attributed to heavy upstream rainfall. With the Son (3.5 lakh cusecs), Kosi (2 lakh cusecs) and Gandak (1.34 lakh cusecs) in spate, water levels at Farakka Barrage reached a dangerous mark, forcing officials to release nearly 12 lakh cusecs downstream.
The flood has thrown life out of gear in the district. Over 950 families in Manikchak, Ratua and English Bazar have been rendered homeless, losing their houses, paddy fields and mango orchards.
The worst affected is Bhutni Island in Manikchak Block, where a Rs 6.5 crore protection dyke built last year has breached, leaving 62 villages waterlogged. Floodwater entered the island’s only hospital, forcing its closure. Medical services have been shifted to the Panchayat office, and pregnant women have been evacuated to schools in safer areas.
District Magistrate Rajanveer Singh Kapoor is overseeing relief camps, but stranded residents allege inadequate supply of dry ration.
The incident has sparked a political row, with BJP MLA Gaur Mandal alleging substandard construction of embankments, while the administration claims emergency anti-erosion measures are underway.
Officials have warned that water levels may rise further till September 9.
