A downward flow of floodwater from the Rajmahal plateau of Jharkhand into Murshidabad’s Farakka, two days after Cyclone Yaas triggered heavy rain in the neighbouring state too, on Saturday morning forced the Farakka-Barharoa highway to close and caused waist-high flooding in some villages near the interstate border.

The flooding, though not a surprise to local residents who are used to floodwater gushing from Jharkhand owing to the difference in altitude, held up traffic for hours and disrupted trucks carrying stone and construction materials on the highway, a mainstay of the local economy.

Sources said floods originated from Jharkhand’s Pakur, Barharoa, Islampur and Maharajpur regions where water accumulated late on Wednesday and gradually flowed into the river Bhagirathi near Farakka causing water levels to rise significantly by Saturday morning, completely flooding the highway.

“We have closed off the highway and the accumulated water is in the process of draining out as rainfall has stopped in the neighbouring state. The process will take some time and till then there will be no traffic on the highway ,” said Farakka block development officer Sanjoy Biswas.

“Police are ensuring no traffic resumes till it is safe to do so,” added police chief (Jangipur), Y. Raghuvamshi.

Sources said the Farakka feeder canal had overflowed during the same time. Residents of Farakka, Suti and Samserganj in Murshidabad said they were used to receiving downward flowing water during heavy rains but could not recall these levels of flooding in recent history.