Over 100,000 people were affected with swollen Ganga and Fulahar inundating six blocks in West Bengal's Malda district as state relief and civil defence ministers visited the erosion-hit Panchanandapur area on Friday.
A total of 95,000 people in six blocks of 130 villages were affected as Ganga and Fulahar submerged new adjacent areas, irrigation department sources said.
Another 20,000 people were marooned due to erosion at Ganga bank over the past few days mostly at Panchanandapur and nearby areas in Kaliachak block two, the sources said.
In Kaliachak block two Sakulyapur and Jotkasturi villages were submerged by Ganga water, which gushed through the damaged portion of a 'ring bundh'.
The other affected blocks were Kaliachak three, Ratua one, Harischandrapur two, Manikchak and Englishbazar. While Ratua and Harischandrapur bore the brunt of fury of Fulahar, Ganga flooded other four blocks.
With water level rising in unprotected areas people were leaving their homes and taking shelter on high lands, the sources said.
Ganga, currently flowing 55 cm above the extreme danger mark, will reach 26-metre mark by Saturday, they said.
