The army was deployed to rescue hundreds of marooned as Asansol registered the highest single-day rainfall in the last 43 years in which three people lost their lives.

Rivers and rivulets are swollen and vast areas of National Highway -2 inundated and the situation was further worsened by the huge release of water from the Durgapur Barrage. The deceased have been identified as Nasim Ansari (25), Anil Keora (50) and Sukurmoni Besra (65).

About 345 mm of rainfall has been recorded in Asansol and 220 mm in Durgapur. The water has swamped the Iisco Steel Plant of Burnpur and coal mines of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).

About 1.86 lakh cusecs of water has been released from the Durgapur barrage and the release will further increase at night, sources said. This huge release of water will further worsen the flood scenario in the lower Damodar basin. The dams of DVC in Maithon and Panchet are full.

Water is flowing above the danger level in Damodar, Ajay Rivers and Garui and Barakar Rivulets. Army jawans from Panagarh were called in for rescue work. Large areas of Asansol and Durgapur subdivision has been inundated and the civil defence personnel has been rescuing the marooned people in boats.

Boats are also plying in the National Highway -2. A district Flood Control Room has been opened at Asansol and is being supervised by the DM of Burdwan West, Arun Prasad. The Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate too has opened a helpline numbers to help the marooned people, said CP, Neelkanth Sudheer Kumar.

In large parts of the area, the electricity has been disconnected to avoid any possible disaster. Crops are under the water, fishes are flowing out from the ponds. The railway tunnel in the Railpar area of Asansol has been inundated. Shops, daily markets remained closed and even the attendance was low in the offices today.

So far there has been no information about any human casualties. A number of four-wheeler and two-wheeler vehicles have flown away in water and many are under the water in Salanpur, Jamuria, Chittaranjan, Asansol, Andal areas. The Jamuria bypass road has collapsed in heavy rainfall.

Jawans of National Disaster Relief Forces (NDRF) have also been deployed later in the day. Trinamool Youth Congress president, Saayoni Ghosh has spoken with the DM of Burdwan West over the phone and has urged him to take all possible steps.

Tarpaulin sheets and dry food, medicines are being provided to the marooned people and already a large number of people have been rescued in Asansol and Durgapur. Even the Ghagar Buri temple in Asansol has been inundated. Vehicular traffic movement has become slow on the Delhi-Kolkata National highway -2.