Malda2 hours agoAuthor: Tirthankar Das
Graphics by Maddiwar Ajit Kumar.
Malda is known as India’s “Mango City”, a land celebrated for its rich soil, sprawling orchards and more than 150 varieties of mangoes. But today, in many parts of this district, there is little left to remind people of that identity. Fields are underwater, houses are surrounded by floodwaters, and thousands of families are struggling to survive as the Ganga continues to rise.
Malda’s mango country faces devastating floods
In Manikchak, the situation has become particularly heartbreaking. In North Chandipur and the century-old Bhutni Char, vast stretches have been cut off from the rest of the district. Roads have disappeared beneath the water, leaving residents dependent on boats and rescue teams.
Manikchak villages disappear beneath rising waters
The Ganga is already flowing more than 45 centimetres above the danger mark. After the Kesharpur embankment was breached, floodwater entered more than 30 villages, including Durlabhola, Bhubantola, Kedartola, and Maniknagar.
Floodwaters destroy homes, farms and livelihoods
For the people living here, the flood has taken away almost everything familiar. Agricultural land that once provided their livelihood is submerged. Water has entered homes, forcing many families to move to relief camps. More than 35,000 people are reportedly trapped or affected in Manikchak alone. Yet even as the water rises, many residents are reluctant to abandon their homes, perhaps because leaving means leaving behind whatever little they still have.
Ratua’s villages, health centre submerged completely
The crisis has spread to Ratua as well. In Kataha Diara, the Mahanandatola Health Centre, the area’s only health facility, the Mahanandatola Health Centre, has been inundated. Water has also entered the Gram Panchayat office. Roads have turned into streams, while around 80,000 people across four Gram Panchayats are reportedly affected. Even the local MLA’s house has not been spared.
Relief camps offer shelter amid crisis
For generations, river erosion and floods have been a part of life here. But residents say this year feels different. In Bhutni, embankment breaches have flooded more than 100 villages, leaving a large population surrounded by water. In Ratua’s Bilaimari and Mahanandatola, thousands are facing a similar struggle.
Malda’s flood leaves behind heartbreaking devastation
The administration has opened seven relief camps, and rescue operations are underway. Two state ministers have been stationed in Manikchak on the Chief Minister’s instructions to monitor the situation, with assistance from the local MLA Gour Chandra Mondal.
Malda may be famous for its mangoes, but this year, another image is emerging, one of a district where homes, farms, and dreams are slowly disappearing beneath the rising waters of the Ganga.
