The rising Ganga gobbled up 40 houses in Malda district, including a concrete two-storey sub-health centre at Bhimagram in Kaliachak-III block on Friday night.

Many families could salvage nothing but only watch helplessly as their houses disappeared one after another during the four-hour erosion.

“The river gobbled one house after another in an incredibly short time,” said Rajib Sheikh, a local youth Trinamul leader.

Bhimagram residents Akhtar Seikh, Khoka Seikh, Mainul Seikh and Nurul Sheikh said they could do nothing. These villagers had gathered in the area, some 30km from Malda town, to discuss plans for Independence Day when the erosion started at around 7.30 pm. All celebration plans have been put off now.

Once the erosion started, many villagers ran out of their houses and gathered before the sub-health centre, which was built by the state government at an estimated cost of Rs 12.5 lakh in 2014. They watched with dismay as the building went under water too. Many villagers recorded this on their smartphones.

Smriti Das, a nurse at the centre said they had sensed almost a month back that the building was in danger of getting submerged. “We had shifted all essential items from the centre,” she said.

Kaliachak-III block has 43 sub-health centres but the one that was swallowed on Friday night catered to most patients in the area.

“This was the most popular health centre for women and children from Lalutola, Durgaramtola, Hatichapa, Narayantola and Bhimagram villages. Apart from free treatment, medicines would also be distributed free of cost,” said Jiaul Hoque, a primary school teacher.

Efforts are on to resume health services in the locality immediately. Rajarshi Mitra, district magistrate, Malda, said: “The health centre could not be saved but measures have been taken to resume health services in the locality immediately.”

Malda has been battling erosion since June end and at the moment Manikchak, Kaliachak-I and Kaliachak-III are worst affected. There are 15 blocks in Malda district.

Bhimagram is under the supervision of Farakka Barrage Project Authority (FBPA) which has now started anti-erosion work on a war-footing.

“But nothing has worked,” said Chandana Sarkar, the Trinamul MLA of Baishnabnagar, who inspected the area on Saturday morning.

Sources maintain that the FBPA has floated a Rs 80 crore tender for anti-erosion work in Baishnabnagar Assembly area. “However, this is not the right time to commence that work because of the monsoon. The work will probably start from November,” said a FBPA official.