West Bengal Flood-Like Situation ‘Man-Made’ Due to DVC Water Release: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has attributed the flood-like situation in several parts of the state to unregulated water releases from the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) dams in Maithon and Panchet. During her visit to the affected areas in Hooghly district on Wednesday, Banerjee described the situation as “man-made” and accused the DVC of irresponsibly releasing large volumes of water without proper management, causing severe flooding in West Bengal.
DVC Water Release Causes Flooding
According to Banerjee, DVC has released around 3.5 lakh cusecs of water, an unprecedented amount that has overwhelmed the state’s river systems, particularly in the districts of Hooghly and Paschim Medinipur. “This kind of water discharge had never happened before,” Banerjee said, criticizing the lack of coordination between DVC and state authorities. She also mentioned that despite her efforts to contact DVC officials and the Jharkhand Chief Minister, no resolution was reached.
Smt. @MamataOfficial has taken swift action in response to the flood-like situation in Bengal.
She personally reached out to DVC officials and held discussions with the CM of Jharkhand, urging them to coordinate and manage the water release in a way that minimises the impact on… pic.twitter.com/vLO8BsM1lE
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 18, 2024
Lack of Dredging Exacerbates the Problem
Banerjee further criticized the central government for not ensuring the regular dredging of the DVC dams, claiming that with proper maintenance, the dams could have held an additional 2 lakh cusecs of water. She described the situation as a “pre-meditated” effort to create problems for West Bengal.
Affected Areas and Government Response
Large parts of Hooghly and Paschim Medinipur districts have been submerged, and the Chief Minister is visiting the affected regions to assess the damage and coordinate relief efforts. The state government is also urging the central authorities to take immediate action to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
Key Points:
- Mamata Banerjee’s Accusation: The West Bengal Chief Minister calls the flooding “man-made” due to unregulated water release by the DVC from its Maithon and Panchet dams.
- Unprecedented Water Discharge: DVC has released 3.5 lakh cusecs of water, causing widespread flooding in Hooghly and Paschim Medinipur districts.
- Criticism of Central Government: Banerjee blames the lack of dredging in DVC dams for worsening the situation and calls the water release “pre-meditated.”
- Impact and Relief Efforts: Large areas in Hooghly and Paschim Medinipur are inundated, and the Chief Minister is visiting affected areas to oversee relief efforts.
