Ranchi, Aug 11 (IANS) The rising waters of the Ganga have triggered a flood crisis in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj, submerging large parts of the district headquarters and forcing authorities to shut all schools on Monday and Tuesday.

At 6 a.m. on Monday, the river’s water level was recorded at 28.62 metres — 1.37 metres above the danger mark of 27.25 metres — and is steadily approaching the High Flood Level.

Around the riverfront, entire localities have been inundated, with flood waters entering 11 of the 28 municipal wards.

Officials estimate that nearly 1,500 houses have been flooded, with Ward No 13 (Habibpur) and Ward No. 22 (Chanan village) worst affected. Several other wards, including 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 17, 18, 23, and 24, are also under water.

Deputy Commissioner Hemant Sati has urged residents of the Diara area to move to safer places, where food, water, and medical aid are available.

Authorities have issued helpline numbers — 9006963963, 9631155933, and 9065370630 — for assistance.

Residents have been warned to stay away from river banks, avoid flood zones, and keep essentials on higher ground. Relief work is underway, with cattle fodder being distributed to prevent shortages in rural pockets.

In Bharatiya Colony, floodwater has reached waist height, prompting many residents to take refuge in AMK Badi Dharamshala. Education has been disrupted across several schools now underwater.

In another incident on Monday, a massive landslide occurred at Babhanbai Hill, about 3 km from Hazaribagh town. A large section of the hill collapsed amid heavy rain, sending hundreds of tonnes of soil and rock tumbling down. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

The hill is located just 500 metres from the densely populated Babhanbai village. Area residents, unaccustomed to such events in this plateau region, compared the sight to landslides in the Himalayan states.

Experts say years of stone mining — previously permitted by the government — along with incessant rainfall, may have loosened the hill’s soil, triggering the collapse.

The administration has cordoned off the area as a precaution and placed the disaster management team on alert.

Geologists have called the incident a warning, urging long-term measures for hill conservation to prevent future risks.

–IANS

snc/skp/vd