A five-year-old boy drowned in floodwaters in Malda’s Bhutni area on Saturday, taking the death toll in the district’s floods to three as 1.2 lakh people across 80 villages remain affected and the Ganga, Fulohar and Mahananda rivers continue to flow above danger levels.
The boy, identified as Samiur Rehman, was playing on the roof of his home in Samiruddintola village when he slipped and fell into the floodwater, according to the report. A neighbour recovered him from the water, but he was declared dead after being taken to hospital.
The deaths of 17-year-old Anikul Haque and 31-year-old Dwijen Mandal had earlier been reported from the flood-affected areas. Large portions of Manikchak remain inundated, while parts of Ratua and Kaliachak are also under water, adding pressure on local transport, access to essential supplies and emergency response.
Six state departments met on Saturday with chief secretary Manoj Agarwal to assess the crisis and review relief measures. The meeting came as floodwaters continued to affect villages in areas where road access and regular movement have been disrupted by the inundation.
Malda district magistrate Rajanvir Singh Kapoor announced the establishment of a zonal relief office at the Uttar Chandipur Gram Panchayat office. The facility is intended to streamline the distribution of relief supplies to remote areas of Bhutni island, where reaching affected households is more difficult during the floods.
MLA Gour Mandal visited flood-hit regions in Manikchak and assured residents that food supplies, tarpaulins and free boat services would be provided. The boat services are expected to support transport for residents in areas where floodwater has affected normal connectivity.
The situation in Malda is part of a wider flood and river-erosion crisis in parts of the region. In Howrah, irrigation department engineers are scheduled to meet officials of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port on Monday after a 20-foot section of embankment collapsed at East Basudevpur in Uluberia. An inspection team assessed the site on Sunday, and workers have begun repair work.
Engineers said the Hooghly’s deep channel had narrowed from about 550 feet to between 130 and 140 feet towards Howrah, making dredging an urgent requirement. The proposed meeting is expected to address the erosion damage and the repair response at the affected embankment.
