Thursday brought a sigh of relief for the people residing in the low lying areas of the city, as sky remained clear in most parts of the city.
However, experts opined that the monsoon may play spoilsport in the coming days. Baghbera New Colony, Nirmal Nagar, Shastrinagar and Jugsalai are badly affected.
Water started receding from CP Tola, Somai Jhopri and Baroda Ghat areas of Bagbera, Shiv Ghat, Gari Nawaz Colony and Islam Nagar localities in Jugsalai.Water continued to recede from Kunwar Basti, Old Purulia Road, Sankosai and Hadi Godam (near Kabirnagar) areas of Mango.
At afternoon Subernarekha level stood at 122.68 m in Mango while Kharkai level remained at 132.97 m at Adityapur. The danger mark for Kharkai and Subernarekha is 129 m and 121.5 m respectively. According to information from flood control cell of Subernarekha Multipurpose Project (SMP) at 1 pm, only one sluice gate of Bankabal Dam (in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha) remained opened.
The gates of Silaipeth Dam also in Mayurbhanj district have been closed since morning. The Chandil Dam continued to spill with eight gates still opened releasing around 4197 cumec of water.
Several affected families are taking shelter in the relief camps of the district administration as their houses have been inundated with the river water in several low lying areas.
According to information nearly 200 families, largely slum dwellers of Kharkhai and Subernarekha catchment areas, have been rescued to the safer places on the insistence of the district administration.
“Almost all the affected families have been rescued to the relief camps and there’s no hurry for them to get back home as we are monitoring the flood situation,” said Subodh Prasad, SDO, Dhalbhum.
“In both the rivers water level is on a receding mode but we need to be constantly vigil as Odisha is receiving heavy rains without interruption for last few days,” said senior official at district flood control cell.
According to information areas like Mango, Jugsalai, Baghbera, Parsudih have been hit. Water clogging at these areas has made difficult for people to move.
The downpour exposed the woeful drainage system on the city roads. Choked drains resulted in water logging in different parts of the city.
The East Singhbhum district civil surgeon Jagat Bhusan has constituted two separate teams of health officials and doctors for providing medicines and other emergency drugs at affected areas.
One team will be maintaining round the clock vigil at Jugsalai, Bagbera and Shastrinagar areas while another team has been deputed for affected areas in Mango.
In a similar situation both the rivers had also surged suddenly on September 9 and August 13 2011 causing submersion of more than 100 houses. In another such flood in June 2009, one person lost his life while hundreds of houses were submerged.
Planning required to meet challenges of flood: Chabban
S R A Rizwi Chabban, secretary of Jharkhand Congress, said that the administration must ensure proper pre planning to meet such situation during Monsoon. He said that every year incidents of flash flood are reported in city. Steps should be taken to fill the pots in several areas of Mango like Azad Nagar, Zakirangar and Old Pururia Road that lead of water clogging.
He further added that a delegation of the party would soon meet the deputy commissioner to register complains. “Situation is still a nightmare for us it is high time for the administration to take preventive measures before untoward incident take place,” he said. Chabban said that the State is facing challenges of both flood and drought like situation. The Government must take initiative to prepare an action plan to meet the situation.