By IANS
Kolkata : The flood situation in southern West Bengal was grim Saturday as thousands of houses were washed away in four days of heavy rainfall affecting 763,000 people even as the army mounted massive relief and rescue operations. The death toll in the calamity touched 27.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharaya toured the worst hit West Midnapore district and held meetings with officials on providing aid to the homeless.
Admitting that relief material for the displaced was not enough, he promised to scale up operations.
"Rain has stopped but the situation is grim in many places, especially at Ghatal, Sabang and Datan in West Midnapore. Relief material provided so far is not adequate. I am going back to Kolkata and sending more relief, including dry food and rice, immediately," Bhattacharya told reporters in Midnapore.
"We will airdrop food from helicopters in affected regions. We are trying to rescue people and deliver medicines," he said.
"About 25,000 people have been rescued in West Midnapore but more needs to be done. Three columns of the army have been deployed there," the chief minister said, adding that four people had been killed in the district.
"In areas hit by flash floods, the situation is better as the water did not accumulate," he said.
The overall death toll in West Bengal from the natural calamity has risen to 27 so far, according to officials.
The government has released Rs.120 million for relief and sought the help of the army and air force to rescue thousands of marooned villagers in West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Hooghly, Bankura, Howrah, Burdwan and Purulia districts.
"We will release more funds immediately. Money will not be a problem," the chief minister said.
He said the situation was compounded with about 225 mm of rain in a single day in some areas.
In West Midnapore's Jhargram area, especially in Sankrail block, about 1,000 mud houses were washed away.
The situation was serious in Kharagpur area in the district also as vast areas are submerged, officials said.
In Hooghly district's Arambagh and Khanakul, large areas have been inundated. About 25 villages in Khanakul are badly hit.
Durgapur, an industrial town in Burdwan district, was also inundated. In Howrah district, about 10,000 people are affected in Udaynarayanpur and Amta.
On Friday, the army was called out for rescue operations after there was a letup in the downpour in Kolkata.
G.C. Debnath, regional director of the meteorological department, held out some hope of relief from rain. "There will be rainfall but not heavy rain any more," the official told IANS.