CM Mamata threatens to sever ties with DVC over flooding crisis in South Bengal
KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that she will cut all ties with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) due to their mishandling of water release from dams, which has resulted in a flood-like situation in South Bengal.
Despite several warnings to the DVC, they released large quantities of water, exacerbating the situation.
The Chief Minister visited inundated areas in Pursurah block, Hooghly district, and blamed the Centre-run DVC for the flood situation, which arose due to the sudden release of over 3.5 lakh cusecs of water from its dams—an unprecedented amount.
“DVC this time has released over 3.5 lakh cusecs of water in one go, the highest ever. I have personally talked to the Jharkhand Chief Minister and the DVC authorities. Why don’t DVC authorities start releasing water gradually when around 80 per cent of their barrages are filled up? The Union government is trying to save the states ruled by the ruling party, as a result of which the people of West Bengal are suffering,” Banerjee stated.
Several areas in the districts of Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapore, and West Midnapore have been severely affected by the flooding.
The worst-hit areas include Amta and Udaynarayanpur in Howrah, Pursurah in Hooghly, Ghatal in West Midnapore, and Panskura in East Midnapore. In Panskura, where heavy rainfall had already been recorded, the release of water from the Kansavati Dam worsened the situation from early Wednesday morning.
“Every year, many districts of Bengal get washed away because of the water released by the DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation). Neighbouring states were given money for floods but not my state. When Bhutan released the water, the Centre was informed, but the state government was not informed. Forests and tea gardens in Bengal are being swept away by floods,” Banerjee added.
According to local sources, the Karnavati embankment at Jarda in Panskura collapsed around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, leading to further disaster in the region.
The situation has also started deteriorating in Bankura district due to unrelenting rainfall over the past few days. Bankura has recorded 1,123 mm of rainfall since June 1, which is 200 mm above the average for this period.
Banerjee is scheduled to visit other flood-affected districts in the coming days.