Sixty thousand people living in the unprotected area between the river bank and the dyke have been hit by floods in Malda district of West Bengal following rise in the water level of the Ganga and Fulhar rivers, official sources said.

Among the affected were people living in the low-lying areas of Mahananda Tola, Bilaimari and Manikchak blocks.

Relief materials have been kept ready and a control room has been

opened in the district headquarter, district magistrate Chittaranjan Das said.

Two more blocks in the catchment areas of the Ganga and Fulhar were put on flood alert raising the number of such blocks to seven.

The irrigation department on Monday had put five blocks, Ratua-I, Harishchandrapur-II, Manikchak, Kaliachak-I, Kaliachak-II, Kaliachak-III and Englishbazar, on flood alert following a rise in the water level of the Ganga.