Dumka: The Ganga continued to rise in Sahibganj, touching 28.47 metres at 8 pm on Monday, 1.22 m above the danger mark of 27.25 m. The Central Water Commission has forecast a further increase of around 1 cm per hour.The river had reached 28.90 m in 2021 and 28.70 m in 2025. This year, floods have affected over 51,000 families, or around 2.16 lakh people, across the district, according to reports from different blocks.Several low-lying areas in the district headquarters, including Bhartiya Colony, Pipe Road, Habibpur, Ali Nagar, Shastri Nagar and Rasulpur Dahla, are inundated. Many families have moved to safer places, while residents of Bhartiya Colony have taken shelter at Amkh Panchayat Bhawan in Chowk Bazar.In rural areas, Mahadeoganj, Ambadiha, Balua Diara, Kishan Prasad Diara, Lalbathani Diara and Makhmalpur South Diara are among the worst affected, with road links disrupted at several places.Sahibganj deputy commissioner Deepak Kumar Dubey has sought the deployment of an NDRF team and proposed a temporary camp in the district to assist rescue and relief operations if the situation worsens.The administration has deployed 38 divers and 253 trained disaster volunteers, while 190 boats are on standby. Health officials have identified 17 sites for medical camps, where doctors, nurses and multipurpose workers will be posted with medicines and essential equipment.Safe drinking water remains a major concern in the diara areas. Makhmalpur resident Mohammad Akhtar said floodwaters had entered most homes and contaminated hand pumps and wells. “Only four or five houses had borewell connections,” he said.Fodder shortage is another concern. Resident Bhagwan Mandal said families had shifted their belongings to roadsides but were struggling to feed cattle after fodder crops were damaged.Rajmahal SDO Sadanand Mahto toured affected villages by boat and distributed flattened rice, jaggery, candles, tarpaulins and fodder.Power supply has been suspended in flood-hit parts of Sahibganj Sadar block after water reached transformers in Kisan, Lalbathani North and Lalbathani South panchayats. JBVNL junior engineer Neel Gagan said supply would resume only after the water receded and conditions were declared safe. Officials said the measure was taken to prevent electrocution and equipment damage.
