2024 West Bengal floods

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2024 West Bengal floods
Ghatal flood 2024.jpg
Flood-affected areas in Ghatal, September 2024
Date17 September 2024 (2024-09-17)
Location Howrah, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia [1]
Deaths3 [2]
Property damageExtensive crop damage, infrastructure loss, submerged homes

The 2024 West Bengal floods occurred in mid-September 2024, primarily affecting the southern regions of the state. The floods were triggered by a combination of heavy rainfall due to a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal and the release of water from dams managed by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). [3] The event led to widespread damage, displacement, and loss of life across several districts of West Bengal.

Contents

Cause

On 13 September 2024, a well-marked low-pressure area formed over the northeast Bay of Bengal and southeast Bangladesh. By the morning of 14 September, it intensified into a depression and moved west-northwestward across coastal Bangladesh and Gangetic West Bengal. By 05:30 hours on the same day, the system strengthened into a deep depression over Bangladesh and Gangetic West Bengal. [4] The system brought continuous heavy rainfall to southern West Bengal. The situation was worsened by the release of over 250,000 cusecs of water from DVC dams, which caused rivers to overflow. [5]

Affected Areas

The flood impacted six districts: Howrah, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia. The worst-affected areas were Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur and Udaynarayanpur in Howrah, where rising water levels and breaches in riverbanks caused massive flooding. [6] The Dwarakeswar River breached its banks, particularly affecting Hooghly. [4]

Impact

The floods claimed the lives of three people and displaced over 2.5 lakh residents, forcing many to evacuate their homes in search of safety. The inundation severely impacted infrastructure, with roads and transportation routes submerged, making areas like Panskura railway station in Purba Medinipur completely inaccessible. [7] Additionally, the floods devastated agriculture, as vast stretches of crops, particularly in floodplain regions, were washed away, dealing a significant blow to farmers and local economies.

Relief and Rescue Operations

The West Bengal government, alongside the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (WB), mobilized efforts to rescue and provide relief to those affected. Over 180 relief camps were set up, housing around 8,000 displaced individuals. [8]

Also from the WBJDF, pausing their ongoing protest, a team of 26 junior doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and Bankura Sammilani Medical College and others distributed essential supplies like drinking water, food, and medicines in severely affected areas such as Panskura. They also set up medical camps to provide healthcare to flood victims. [9] [10]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankura district</span> District in West Bengal, India

Bankura district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. Bankura district is surrounded by Purba Bardhaman district and Paschim Bardhaman district in the north, Purulia district in the west, Jhargram district and Paschim Medinipur district in the south, and some part of Hooghly district in the east. Damodar River flows in the northern part of Bankura district and separates it with the major part of Burdwan district. The district head quarter is located in Bankura town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damodar River</span> River in Jharkhand and West Bengal, India

Damodar River is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The valley is rich in mineral resources and is known for large-scale mining and industrial activity. It was also known as the Sorrow of Bengal because of the ravaging floods it caused in the plains of West Bengal. The construction of several dams on the Damodar and its tributaries has helped control some of the flooding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purba Medinipur district</span> District in West Bengal, India

Purba Medinipur district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the southernmost district of Medinipur division – one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The headquarters in Tamluk. It was formed on 1 January 2002 after the Partition of Medinipur into Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur which lies at the northern and western border of it. The state of Odisha is at the southwest border; the Bay of Bengal lies in the south; the Hooghly river and South 24 Parganas district to the east; Howrah district to the north-east; Paschim Medinipur district to the west.

Ghatal is a city and a municipality in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. Earlier it was part of Hooghly District in 1872 it was merged with Medinipur district. It is the headquarters of the Ghatal subdivision.

Bankura is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district.Bankura was described as malbhumi . The word larh or rarh was introduced after 6th century A.D. It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”. 2-n ancient times "China called Ráŕh by the name of 'Láti'". 3-n Santali, lar means thread, rarh means tune and larh means snake. 4-.Perhaps the Jain and Greek scholars used this original Austric word larh to indicate this dry forest region which was very difficult. The popularity of Manasa Puja, the worship of Snake-Goddess Manasa, shows this opinion might have some relevance. According to Nilkantha, a commentator of the Mahabharata, the words suhmo [bhumi] and Rarh are synonymous.

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Khirpai, also known as Kshirpai, is a city and a municipality in the Ghatal subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Earlier it was part of Hooghly. The city is situated between Ghatal and Chandrakona, near the banks of the rivers Shilabati and Kethai, and is one of the oldest municipalities in India. Khirpai is also famous for its Babarsa, a special type of sweetmeat, which is not available elsewhere.

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Radhanagore in the Khanakul town, Arambagh subdivision of the Hooghly District of West Bengal, India. It is the birthplace of Ram Mohan Roy. Located near Khanakul, it is approachable from Tarakeswar or Arambag. Mundeswari river flows nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mundeswari River</span> River in West Bengal, India

Mundeswari river is a small river in West Bengal which causes floods in Hooghly, Purba Medinipur and Howrah districts during the monsoons. Any discharge above 2,000 cubic metres per second (70,000 cu ft/s) downstream of Durgapur Barrage occasionally causes the river to flood. It has been suggested that the banks of rivers such as the Mundeswari should be protected with embankments to prevent floods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilabati River</span> River in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panskura (community development block)</span> Community development block in West Bengal, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Depression BOB 05 (2024)</span> North Indian cyclone

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References

  1. ↑ "Parts of Bengal face flood-like situation after heavy rains". Hindustan Times . 18 September 2024. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "3 killed, 2.5 lakh people affected by flood in West Benga". ThePrint . PTI. 20 September 2024. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  3. ↑ SINGH, SHIV SAHAY (19 September 2024). "Mamata blames Damodar Valley Corporation for south Bengal floods, says her government will cut off all ties with it". The Hindu . Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Situation Report 1 Floods in West Bengal Date: 20th September 2024 (Friday) Time: 12:00 PM (IST)". ReliefWeb . 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Singh, Rimjhim (18 September 2024). "South Bengal faces major flood risk amid heavy rain and dam discharge". Business Standard . New Delhi . Retrieved 21 September 2024. The Damodar Valley Corporation has issued a red alert in the region after increasing water discharge to 250,000 cusecs on Tuesday.
  6. ↑ "In West Bengal's Ghatal, Severe Floods Leave No Dry Land For Cremation". News18 India . 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Phadikar, Anshuman (20 September 2024). "Panskura railway station sinks after flood completely becoming inaccessible to commuters". The Telegraph (India) . Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Sarkar, Joydeep (20 September 2024). "Homes Submerged, People Wait in Relief Camps as Floods Ravage More Than 50 Villages in Bengal". The Wire (India) . Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Roy, Subhajoy; Sengupta, Snehal (21 September 2024). "Junior docs visit flood-hit villages with relief items". The Telegraph (India) . Kolkata . Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Roy, Kaushik (20 September 2024). "রাজ্যের বন্যা কবলিত এলাকায় জুনিয়র চিকিৎসকরা, থাকছে ওষুধ, জল, খাবার" [Junior doctors in the flood affected areas of the state, along with medicines, water, food]. Aajkaal (in Bengali). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
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