DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN 2020-2021 MALDA DISTRICT Sri Rajarshri Mitra, District Magistrate & Collector I.A.S. Malda (W.B) Telephone : Office : 03512-252381 Resi : 03512-252415 Fax : 03512-253092 Email : [email protected] _____________________________________________________________________________ FOREWORD The area enclosed by the district of Malda has historically been affected by the changing course of the rivers, even as its rise was due to being a major reverine port in the first place. Disturbances in the course of Ganga resulted in shifting of capital of the entire Bengal from Gaur (Lakhnauti) to Pandua in 1342 and again from there in mid-15th century when river Mahananda started to veer away from this site. The rivers have given this land fertility and also cursed it by frequent flood and erosion. The unique geological features of this district make it particularly vulnerable. Major part of the district except the eastern blocks covers an adjacent tract of flat lowland between 27 m and 21 m contours sloping gradually from north to south, and is classified into two additional physiographic regions viz the Tal and the Diara. Topographic gradients along the Tal region, consisting of the area defined by Chanchal Sub-Division, are barely existent, at an average of a mere 0.05 degree. Therefore, Ganga is the only fast moving river in this region, with a average gradient of 1:14500. The other minor regional rivers of the Tal barely manage to crawl across the tract at extremely low gradients ranging between 1:21000 and 1:25000 for Mahananda, Tangan and Punarbhava and even lower at 1:31200 for Kalindri. Because of this combination of low gradients and the resulting sluggishness in their water flow, all local rivers are prone to inundate the Tal during the monsoon, and the Mahananda with its large upstream catchment has often wreaked flood havoc in the tal tract. The situation faced in august last year was no exception to this. It was caused by some unscrupulous cutting of river embankment in neighbouring state, but the resulting flow of the water was too heavy to be carried away by the flat channels of the rivers and so inundated rapidly the catchment areas and beyond. Embankments along the course of the rivers in the district have been heavily protected in the last few years. Irrigation department has been maintaining the major embankments and Gram Panchayats have also taken up similar works on a smaller scale, mostly utilizing resources from MGNREGS, thereby generating rural employment and at the same time creating valuable permanent flood protection assets. However, the topographical constraints causing water logging is a more difficult problem to handle. We need to think about overcoming this in innovative ways. Tal are is mostly composed of bog lands formed in many marshy packets around vestigial inland drainages. The streams of this zone have switched over to new courses, leaving many dead or dying channels that retain a trickle of water flow only during monsoons. Consequently, the Tal is strewn with marshes, small and big water bodies and oxbow lakes. Inter-braided streams with multiple channels also occur quite commonly along the rivers of this region displaying an amazing capacity to meander. We needs to rejuvenate these water bodies and marshy mudbanks of steams, channels and even rivers to increase their depth and carrying capacity. This requires considerable planning with respect. To the contour mapping of the entire area in keeping with the overall north to south slope as was visible during the last flood. As a first step, we have completed the task of geo- referencing all of them with their local names so that seamless knowledge sharing between our machinery and the local people’s wisdom can be utilized for optimal planning and execution. MGNREGS team of the district, block and Gram Panchayats has gone into mission mode to ensure permanent assets are created in the nature of increased water retention and carrying capacity and at the same time generating work at the villages. This activity will help the water-scarce Baring region of Gazole, Bamongola, Habibpur and Old Malda as well, by recharging the groundwater level, and also rejuvenating the natural water bodies formed in the ravine-like geological structures formed by the impervious clayey soil which generates monsoon runoff and little percolation. However, apart from these long term measures, we have to keep preparing for managing flood with determination every year. We have to take some lessons from last year as to prepare better. Interaction with local people have revealed that the historically flood prone nature of this district had prompted many familes to keep small boats at their disposal over several generations. However, over time, these resources have diminished in quantity and quality. Last year several types of boats in large numbers were received and used from many sources, most importantly speed boats of Civil Defence and Disaster Management departments. However, even then the supply was less than demand and planning including ready availability of contact numbers of boat operators and means to take them to desired location has proved to be inadequate. We have to be better prepared. ICDS centers and resources have proved to be life savers in may areas. They may be strengthened even more to deal with similar emergencies. The challenge faced by the Diara region formed by the Kaliachak-I, II & III, Manikchak and Englishbazar blocks are however, different. Historically this region has borne the brunt of river course shifting and erosion the most and therefore the occupational patterns have changed permanently. The risk of losing land coupled with high cost of cultivation has pushed many people to being migrant workers. Many of them are seasonal migrants who go to work elsewhere during lean season and come back when cultivation (in large part, mango season) takes place. Irrigation department has been fighting a difficult battle to save the vulnerable locations like Parlalpur in Kaliachak-III and Bhutni in Manikchak from consistent erosion pressure. Huge depth of Ganga has caused bed erosion which has proved to be difficult to manage even with large protection measures using boulder pitching and porcupine cage. Local GPs have also pitched in with support from MGNREGS. As the local people say, in Malda erosion starts as flood recedes, thereby making disaster management in this district a unique challenge. Malda is flood prone District in West Bengal, the Ganga river flows along the western border of Malda, Fulahar, Mahananda and Behula river also flows over the District, which comes huge destruction by flood in Monsoon. To overcome this situation. We have to be vigilant to deal with excess rainfall and flood like situations. At the same time other disasters like thunderstorms fire etc. have to be properly protected against. Our two municipalities are also flood prone. Mahananda levels rose to much above EDL and stayed there for several days last year, posing grave challenges before both the municipalities. We have to clear our drainage system, check for small holes in our embankments where breaching takes place and keep in place proper system of reaching out to marooned families with food, water and other essentials and keep reviewing them from time to time so that we are never taken off guard by the forces of nature. We may not be a match to them, but we should never be caught napping. (Sri Rajarshri Mitra, IAS.) District Magistrate & Collector, Malda. Content Sl. No. Items Page No 1. Map with LACs,Blocks, GPs and villages of Malda District 02 2. Roads Map of Malda District 03 3. Map of Vulnerability Area of Malda District 04 4. Maps of Important Rivers 05 5. Brief History of Flood in Malda 06-07 6. Scenario of past floods in Malda 08 7. District profile 09-16 8. Comparative figures of water level 17 9. Block wises vulnerable area of Malda District 18 10. District level food contingency Plan 19-20 11. Important telephone Nos of Malda District 21-25 12. Indentified Helipads/high grounds in Malda district 25-26 13. Contact Nos of Trucks owner/Abbulance/petro pump 27-30 14. Contact Nos of Local venders of Food Supplies 31 15. Some Do’s and Don’t during Natural Calamity 32 to 34 16. Contact Nos of Pradhan and UPA Pradhan of Malda District 35-39 17. Block wises owner of country Boat and contact Nos. 40-45 18. Details of Heritage buildings or Sites in Malda District 46 Plans of Blocks & Municipalities 19. Contingency Plan of Harischandrapur-I Development Block 47-50 20. Contingency Plan of Harischandrapur-II Development Block 51.52 21. Contingency Plan of Chanchal-I Development Block 53-60 22. Contingency Plan of Chanchal-II Development Block 61-62 23. Contingency Plan of Ratua-I Development Block 63-73 24. Contingency Plan of Ratua-II Development Block 74-85 25. Contingency Plan of Bamongola Development Block 86-96 26. Contingency Plan of Habibpur Development Block 97-99 27. Contingency Plan of Kaliachak-I Development Block 100-105 28. Contingency Plan of Kaliachak-II Development Block 106-114 29. Contingency Plan of Kaliachak-III Development 115-119 30. Contingency Plan of Englishbazar Development Block 120-138 31. Contingency Plan of Old Malda Development Block 139-146 32. Contingency Plan of Gazole Development Block 147-165 33. Contingency Plan of Manikchak Development Block 166-170 34. Contingency Plan of Englishbazar Municipality 171-177 35. Contingency Plan of Old Malda Municipality 178-180 Plans of Line Departments 36 Contingency Plan of SP, Malda 181-193 37 Contingency Plan of Health Department, Malda 194-198 38 Contingency Plan of DI School, Malda 199 39 Contingency Plan of Sericulture, Malda 200-201 40 Contingency Plan of Horticulture, Malda 202 41 Contingency Plan of Agi-Mech, Malda 203-204 42 Contingency Plan of Mahananda Embankment, Malda 205-207 43 Contingency Plan of Food Department, Malda 208 44 Contingency Plan of WBSEDC (South), Malda 209-217 45 Contingency Plan of Irrigation, Malda 218-224 46 Contingency Plan PHE, Malda 225 47 Contingency Plan of Civil Defence, Malda 226-233 48 Contingency Plan of Malda Highway Division, Malda.