The Ganga, which has seen a rise in water level following monsoon rain, has swept away a stretch of a road connecting around 20 villages in the Bhutni islet of Malda.

Around 20,000 people live in the villages whose connectivity with the rest of the district has been cut off. The islet is located in the Manikchak block of the district.

“The road that connects the villages of Uttar Chandipur in Bhutni was damaged by the Ganga in Pulintola. We have engaged two country boats for the residents so that they can cross the stretch in case of any emergency. Today, a team from the irrigation department has reached the spot and we hope they will be able to stop the water from flowing through the area by tomorrow,” said Nitin Singhania, the district magistrate of Malda.

Sources said Pulintola is 52km away from the district headquarters.

He said that in Kalutontola, a village in Uttar Chandipur panchayat, a 60-metre stretch of Ganga’s embankment had developed a crack. “It has been repaired to stop water from entering the area. There is another crack in Basantatola and the same would be repaired,” Singhania added.

In Manikchak, which is on the left bank of the Ganga, the river was flowing near "extreme danger level" on Friday.

“In the past 24 hours, it didn’t rain much in Malda. However, owing to rainfall in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the river swelled,” said a source.

The administration has provided relief to around 10,000 people of Uttar Chandipur.

Sabitri Mitra, the TMC MLA of Manikchak, visited Bhutni on Friday.

“Along with the Ganga, the Fulhar river (which flows through the other side of the islet) is also in full spate. If water from the Fulhar enters the Bhutni, road connectivity across the entire islet would be affected. We want the Centre to act immediately to save the islet,” she said.