Breaches in the banks and embankments of three major rivers in East Midnapore led to severe flooding across Chandipur, Nandigram, Haldia, Mahisadal, Tamluk and Kolaghat on Wednesday.

While a fisheries worker drowned in the district, local administrators said the toll on the fishing industry had been massive. The rivers Hooghly, Haldi and Rupnarayan overflowed from Wednesday morning, following a surge in the seawater level under the combined impact of high tide and Cyclone Yaas.

In Nandigram block, flanked on two sides by the Hooghly and Haldi, thousands of fisheries were submerged. The convergence of floodwater from the two rivers inundated parts of Nandigram.

“Amphan had felled trees, electric poles and homes, but this time flooding ruined our fishing industry,” said panchayat samity deputy chief Abu Taher. Sheikh Khashed, 53, from Nandigram, who owns and operates many fishing bheris, agreed. “My losses are in crores,” he said.

In Sutahata, the Hooghly overflowed, flooding a dozen villages in Eriakhali. NDRF teams evacuated over 10,000 villagers, according to panchayat officials.

In Mahisadal and Geokhali, where the Hooghly and Rupnarayan meet, a breached embankment flooded several homes and a rice godown.Further down in Amritberia and Narayanpur, Rupnarayan’s floodwater left 5,000 people stranded.

In the Tamluk municipality area, five wards were flooded by Rupnarayan.

In Kolaghat and Shahid Matangini blocks, 25 villages and several hundred hectares of farmland were damaged by floodwater.

“Saline water has destroyed any chance of planting this month," said panchayat official Joydeb Burman.

Nandigram apart, the Haldi overflowed into more than 50 villages, including Chandipur and across the river at Itamogra in Mahisadal and adjacent Norghat in Nandakumar.