A primary school at Narayanpur islet of Malda’s Manikchak block has been partially gobbled up by the Ganga river that is consistently eroding chunks of land in the area.

It is just a matter of time that the entire school building will plunge into the mighty river, residents said.

Half the school building — the only primary school in the islet — has been washed away by the Ganga over the past few days.

There are 134 students and four teachers in the school. Around 300 families live on Narayanpur islet.

Residents Lata Chowdhury and Rajen Chowdhury are deeply saddened by the imminent drowning of the school.

“Erosion has taken away so many things from us. The latest example is this school,” Lata said.

Teachers are now holding classes and serving midday meals to students in different locations, such as local clubs, vacant plots and plantations.

“We can’t stop classes. As the school building is in a precarious state, we have no other option but to scout for spaces where children can seat, attend classes and have their food,” said one of the teachers.

The information has also reached the District Primary School Council (DPSC) and district education department.

Basanti Barman, the DPSC chairman, said they asked teachers to shift documents, furniture and other items to safer places.

“We have urged villagers and local clubs to help the teachers so that the school can be run from alternative places on the island,” said Barman

In Malda, this is not the first time that a river has partially swallowed a school. In 2017, a primary school at Moniramtola of Bhutni island, was gobbled up by the Ganga. The school is yet to find its new address.

Narayanpur apart, a high school and a primary school at Birnagar-I area under Kaliachak-III block are vulnerable as the Ganga is eroding land and inching closer to the buildings every day.

Mohammad Parvez, a sub-inspector of schools, who supervises the primary school at Narayanpur, said, they have found alternative land for new school building.

“A resident of the islet will donate 10 cottahs of land. A temporary structure will be raised on the land within a fortnight. The new location is quite far from Ganga,” he said.

Nitin Singhania, the district magistrate, had visited Birnagar-I to check the status of both the schools. “We are trying to find an alternative place for those two schools. We have spoken to the Farakka Barrage Project Authority in this regard. Once land is found, the process of shifting the schools will start,” he said.