(Top) Residents of Patras line in Nimtijhora Tea Garden shift their belongings to safer places; and the bridge near Falakata that was washed away. (Anirban Choudhury)

Kalchini, July 21: The Basra bridge that connects Kalchini block headquarters to the Jaigaon-Hasimara area was washed away last night along with 25 houses in rain-lashed Dooars where tea garden authorities have asked for army assistance to shift their workers.

This evening, another wooden bridge, part of NH31, gave away near Falakata where the Buri Torsha is in spate.

Ten huts have been washed away in Bhatpara Tea Estate and eight in Uttar Mendabari. In Nimtijhora and Radharani gardens, five and two dwellings have been lost to the water.

Another 100 houses are under threat and at least 15,000 people in Alipurduar subdivision have been affected by water-logging and overflowing rivers.

The Torsha, Kaljani, Basra, Pana, Rydak and the Sankosh originate in the Bhutan hills, where there has been heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours. All six rivers are flowing much above the danger level. Red alerts have been sounded for the Torsha, and the Kaljani that passes by Alipurduar town.

Around 50 metres of the Basra bridge was washed away at Hamiltanganj, 34km from here. The bridge, which has iron pillars and topped with wooden sheets, was built in 1931 and had been in a precarious condition in the absence of maintenance for years.

Students, office-goers, businessmen and garden residents from Satali, Hasimara, Dalshingpara, Malangi and Jaigaon will now have to travel an extra 30km to reach the block headquarters.

People in Mendabari close to the bridge have to trek 15km more to reach Kalchini.

The Shikari bund, too, has been washed away by Pana river and Radharani tea garden is completely detached from the rest of the block. The Pana has entered the Chuapara and Bhatpara tea estates.

In Nimtijhora Tea Estate, 30 families have been shifted from the Patras line to the garden factory and local high school because of erosion. The Kaljani has gobbled up 28 acres of the garden. The Reti is flowing through Riabari and Karbala tea estates as the embankment has been damaged. The plucking in the gardens in Banarhat has been suspended.

A source in the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association said the Riabari and Karbala estates had asked for army assistance to shift their workers. “They have forwarded their plea to Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner A.K. Singh,” he said.

The Uttar Mendabari fire brigade personnel shifted at least 20 people to safer places. Avijit Narjinary, the pradhan of the Mendabari gram panchayat, said: “Around 7,000 people in our panchayat have been affected. Till now, eight houses have been washed away by the Basra river. The 250 families that have been rescued are in a flood centre now. About 500 metres of an irrigation embankment have been washed away. Several bamboo bridges over streams have been swept away.”

The Chhoto Mechia Basti and Manglabari areas in Jaigaon are flooded by the Torsha and the Jogi Khola. In Tapshikhata and Banchukamari areas of Alipurduar Block I, 2000 people have been brought to a flood centre as the embankment has been damaged and river water has flooded the villages. Country boats have been used to shift marooned people. In Goabarnagar gram panchayat of Falakata block at least 300 huts have been damaged by the waters of Mujnai and Dudua rivers.

Water has entered the Jateswar Primary Health Centre too. Anurag Srivastav, the subdivisional officer of Alipurduar, said: “In Kalchini, the situation is grave as Basra bridge has been washed away. We have deployed people for rescue operations. We assure the people that they will not have to face any crisis.”