Flood-like situation grips Bengal as DVC releases 3 lakh cusecs from dams

Kolkata: The flood-like situation in several districts of West Bengal is likely to worsen as the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has released over 3 lakh cusecs of water from its Panchet and Maithon dams within a span of seven hours, officials said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Monday night said that a flood-like situation was feared in at least seven districts of the State situated downstream after the release of water from dams in neighbouring Jharkhand.

Addressing a press conference, Banerjee alleged that DVC was releasing water without informing her government. DVC officials said that 3 lakh cusecs of water was released from 11.30 pm on Monday to 6.54 am on Tuesday.

They said that initially 90,000



cusecs of water was released on Monday night but with upstream water flow remaining high, an additional 2.1 lakh cusecs of water was released on Tuesday morning till 6.54 am.

Banerjee had on Monday said that Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman, and parts of North and South 24 Parganas districts were already experiencing flooding due to heavy rain over the past two days, and the capacity of the rivers was already full.

“I have called the Jharkhand CM three times, urging him to regulate the release of water,” she had said. “Some people are trapped in Hooghly after water level rose sharply, and the administration has been instructed to carry out rescue operations,” she had said.