Embankment, riverbanks repaired to cope with flood-like

The West Bengal irrigation department has completed repairing around 1411 river embankments, riverbanks and different structures damaged during last year's heavy rainfall to cope with any flood-like situation in the state, Irrigation Minister Soumen Kumar Mahapatra told the Assembly today.

Starting on June 1 the state irrigation department has opened two separate flood control rooms in Kolkata and Jalpaiguri and 22 other centres in the districts to keep an eye on the water-level of various river bodies, total rainfall and condition of the drainage canals, Mahapatra said.

The department has also carried out repair works of 11 water pumping stations in and surrounding areas of the city besides, setting up 40 new pumping stations in the low lying areas in the state, Mahapatra said.

The minister said that around 940 km of drainage canals in the city and at around five districts North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East Medinipore have been brought under the annual maintenance contract to keep them clean.

To ensure that the drainage systems function properly during this year's monsoon, proper dredging has also been carried out at various drainage canals, the minister said.

The department had earlier this month held a meeting with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) authorities on releasing water during the monsoon this year.

Water released by DVC have in the past flooded low lying areas of several south Bengal districts.