Fresh erosion, alarmingly close to some villages of Malda’s Kaliachak-III block on the banks on the left side of the rain-fed Ganga, has been reported from Wednesday.

The erosion has scared hundreds of families, with many shifting their belongings and dismantling their homes to head to safer places.Erosion started on banks close to the villages under Pardeonapur-Sovapur panchayat since Wednesday evening.

Residents said that in the course of one night, hundreds of metres of land were gobbled up by the river.Panicky residents of Golap Mandal Para, Par-Paranpara, Khaspara, Anupnagar and other villages near the riverbank spent a sleepless night on Wednesday and on Thursday morning, many families in these villages dismantled their houses and collected tiles and tin pieces for reuse elsewhere.

Affected villagers Sudhir Mandal, Balaram Mandal, Nagen Chowdhury, Gopal Mandal and others that this newspaper spoke to said it was not safe for them to live near the swollen Ganga anymore.

“From past experiences, we know erosion can turn destructive suddenly. That's why we are saving what we can now,” said Nagen Chowdhury of Golap Mandal Para.Sulekha Chowdhury, the head of Pardeonapur-Sovapur panchayat, said erosion started on Wednesday night, slowed down on Thursday but picked up pace on Friday.“However, this morning (Friday), the river again started eroding patches of land. I have informed the block administration,” she said.

Residents of large parts of Birnagar-I panchayat in the same block of Malda have borne the brunt of severe erosion for the past two years.Biplabkanti Roy, an executive engineer of the state irrigation department, said they had filed a report with the district administration.

“Once we receive approval from the administration, we will start palliative protection work in affected areas. Initial work will be done along a 350-metre-long stretch of the Ganga,” Roy said.

Nitin Singhania, the district magistrate, said a primary report had been sent to the state on the fresh erosion.“We will act on the directive of the government. The block administration has been asked to keep tabs. If necessary, alternative and temporary homes will be given to those who want help from the administration,” he said.