3 weeks ago
Alipurduar and Cooch Behar roads under water after heavy rain
Very heavy rain fell at night in a part of India called north Bengal.
Two towns there, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, got a lot of water — in one town it rained more than 250 millimetres.
The streets filled with water up to people's knees and sometimes even their waists.
Water got into many houses, and some shops stayed closed.
Many children could not go to school because the roads were too flooded to walk on.
People are upset because they say this happens almost every year during the rainy season.
They think the problem is that the drains in the towns are not cleaned or fixed properly.
A leader named Paritosh Das says the town's drainage system is bad and a plan to fix it is being made.
Another leader, Rathindra Bose, visited the flooded areas and promised that officials are working on a plan.
Weather experts say even more rain is coming in the next few days.
Heavy overnight rain left large parts of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar towns in north Bengal waterlogged and disrupted normal life on Wednesday.
In the 24 hours until Wednesday morning, Cooch Behar recorded 254mm of rainfall, Alipurduar 180mm and Jalpaiguri 165mm.
Floodwaters reached knee-high to waist-deep in low-lying areas and entered homes, while many children could not attend school because roads were waterlogged.
Alipurduar MLA Paritosh Das blamed the poor drainage system and the previous civic board, saying a detailed project report for a comprehensive drainage plan is being prepared.
Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose visited affected areas, while weather experts forecast another 70-200mm of rain in the next 24 hours.
- Who
- Residents of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar towns in north Bengal; Alipurduar MLA Paritosh Das and Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose are the officials involved.
- What
- Severe waterlogging and flooding after heavy overnight rain disrupted homes, schools, traffic and shops.
- Where
- Alipurduar and Cooch Behar towns in north Bengal, India; Jalpaiguri also recorded heavy rainfall.
- When
- Wednesday, following rain recorded in the 24 hours until Wednesday morning; more rain is forecast over the next few days.
- Why
- Very heavy rainfall (up to 254mm in Cooch Behar) combined with poor urban drainage systems and irregular drainage cleaning led to the flooding.
Officials' View
Residents' View
Responsibility for recurrent waterlogging
Officials' View
Alipurduar MLA Paritosh Das blamed the poor drainage system and the previous civic board, saying Trinamool Congress councillors must take responsibility; he has taken up the matter with the state municipal affairs department, which asked for a detailed project report on a comprehensive drainage plan.
Residents' View
Residents say changing governments has not changed the situation, drains are not cleaned regularly so rainwater has nowhere to go, and flooding has become an annual phenomenon; they also allege there is no effective grievance mechanism because the municipality has no functioning board of councillors.
Key facts
- Rainfall in Cooch Behar (24 hrs)
- 254mm
- Rainfall in Alipurduar (24 hrs)
- 180mm
- Rainfall in Jalpaiguri (24 hrs)
- 165mm
- Flood water depth
- Knee-high to waist-deep
- Worst-hit wards in Alipurduar
- 5, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20
- Affected areas in Cooch Behar
- Suniti Road, Keshab Road, Biswa Singha Road, Harendra Narayan Road, Raja Rajendra Narayan Road, parts of New Kadamtala
- Rainfall forecast (next 24 hrs)
- 70-200mm for Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar
- Planned response
- DPR for a comprehensive drainage plan and an administration action plan
Quotes
A resident of Alipurduar
Resident of Alipurduar
“Trinamool Congress councillors must take responsibility for the town’s poor drainage system. I have already taken up the matter with the state municipal affairs department, which has asked for a detailed project report on a comprehensive drainage plan for the town. It will be submitted to the department shortly”
telegraphindia.com
“In the absence of a functioning board of councillors in the municipality, complaints about drainage and waterlogging remained unattended. The civic body has completely failed to address the situation”
telegraphindia.com









