Homes & roads submerged - Rainfall, ranging from 70mm to 200mm, likely to continue in the next few days

TT, 17.06.20, Siliguri and Alipurduar: Bridges and culverts were washed away and homes and plantations were submerged as heavy rain battered several blocks of Alipurduar district in the past two days.

In the Falakata block, culverts over the Birkiti stream at Khagenhat and the Buri Torsha were destroyed by rising waters.

A temporary diversion on the Char Torsha was also damaged in the block. Traffic between Alipurduar and Falakata was disrupted, forcing commuters to travel around 20km extra through Pundibari in the neighbouring Cooch Behar district.

A number of homes and roads were inundated at Jateswar and Guabarnagar in the Falakata block. Several stretches of NH31D that connects Falakata and Dhupguri were also under water till Tuesday late afternoon.

Homes and several tea gardens have been submerged at Hamiltangunj in Kalchini block.

As the Kaljani river that skirts Alipurduar town rose, people living along the banks and in the nearby low-lying areas were shifted to safer places.

Traffic between Madarihat and Totopara was disrupted on Tuesday as streams like Hauri, Titi and Bangri swell. The district administration said water levels of rivers like Torsha, Rydak, Sankosh and Dima were also increasing.

“Almost all rivers in the district have risen because of heavy showers. We are watching on the situation and are in touch with the administration,” state irrigation department executive engineer Priyam Goswami said.

Sources in the Met Office said it had rained around 170mm at some places in Alipurduar district during the past 24 hours.

They said the rainfall was likely to continue in the next few days.

Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar also received showers since Monday.

“The monsoon has arrived and there is a forecast of heavy rainfall, ranging from 70mm to 200mm, across north Bengal in the next three-four days,” said a source in the Met Office.