Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee visited some flood-hit areas in East Midnapore district on Friday.

Speaking to a section of the affected, he enquired whether food and medicines were reaching the victims. He inspected a few relief camps and discussed with elected representatives and district officials distribution of relief material and evacuation.Mr. Bhatacharjee also deliberated with officials on short and long-term measures to prevent floods and waterlogging in the Egra and Contai sub-divisions, large parts of which are perennially submerged during monsoon.

While the Government had taken up a temporary scheme for desilting basins and deepening and widening irrigation channels, a proposal for a long-term project to prevent flooding in the region was submitted to the Centre, the Chief Minister said.

District Magistrate R. Ranjit told The Hindu that heavy rains caused the floods, with the district receiving half the average yearly precipitation in just seven days. Eleven persons died in the district.

There was some improvement in the situation over the past two days with rains abating. More than two lakh people were evacuated and accommodated in nearly 2,000 camps. Nearly 40,000 houses were totally damaged and 80,000 partially damaged. Crops and fisheries were affected.

The overall situation in other south Bengal districts has also improved, according to officials at the Secretariat. The alert for further rain in the coastal districts in view of the depression in the Bay of Bengal remains.

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