Mamata targets Centre, Jharkhand; warns of more floods if DVC releases more water

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee targeted the Centre and the Jharkhand government during a tour of the state’s flood-hit districts on Monday saying more areas will be inundated if the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) releases water through its barrages in the coming days.

“Two depressions have developed over the Bay of Bengal. Our flooded districts will receive heavy rainfall. The situation will worsen, especially if DVC releases more water from its dams. Villagers living in endangered areas must be evacuated immediately,” Banerjee said in East Burdwan district.

“Whenever it rains in Jharkhand, they release water into Bengal. Bihar also gets flooded, but they dig canals and direct the water towards Bengal. Political parties spend a lot of money on elections, big buildings and gigantic statues. If the Centre gives us even one fourth of this money, we can work on the Ganga Action Plan,” Banerjee said without naming any party.

“We will not accept the neglect and deceit Bengal is facing. Never,” Banerjee added.

At Bankura district, her next stop, the Trinamool Congress chairperson sharpened her attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without naming it.

“Fight me politically if you can. Don’t put common people into misery,” she said while addressing the media.

On Sunday, Banerjee wrote a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing DVC of causing the recent floods in south Bengal districts and declaring that the Bengal government was withdrawing its representatives from the corporation’s board.

Bengal power secretary Shantanu Basu and a chief engineer from the department quit the DVRRC (Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee) on Sunday, Banerjee said on Monday.

Aimed at controlling devastating floods caused by the mighty Damodar river which passes through Bihar (now Jharkhand) and Bengal, DVC was set up in July 1948. The Centre, Bengal and Jharkhand are partners in the project. DVC also produces hydel power and feeds irrigation canals.

Banerjee held an administrative meeting in East Burdwan where she asked officials to be proactive.

“Block development officers and local police must convince villagers in low lying areas to vacate their homes. I know nobody likes to leave their home, but life is more important. Officials must assess the damage farmers have suffered so we can disburse crop insurance funds. We have set up many flood shelters, but these are not adequate. Our officials can use school buildings since the Puja vacation will start soon,” Banerjee said after the meeting.

In Sunday’s letter to Modi, Banerjee alleged that DVC released excessive water from its dams in Jharkhand ignoring repeated requests from the Bengal government.

Jharkhand witnessed excessive rainfall earlier this week, causing water level in the DVC dams to rise.

“Evidence suggests that the Mython and Panchet reservoirs were not allowed to encroach beyond their maximum flood management levels (MFML) - 495 ft for Mython and 425 ft for Panchet - this time. For example, during a previous incident on August 1, 2021, Panchet reached 430.61 ft, well above its MFML, while this time it only reached 425.12 ft,” Banerjee wrote to the Modi on Sunday.

In the first letter Banerjee wrote to Modi on September 20, she sought his intervention and accused DVC of triggering a “man-made” disaster. The letter said Bengal had been facing the biggest flood in the lower Damodar basin since 2009 and more than five million people had been affected.

Responding to this letter, Union jal shakti minister CR Paatil said Bengal government officials were informed at every stage about the discharge of water from DVC’s reservoirs. The water was released to prevent a major disaster, he said.

The Bengal BJP has dismissed Banerjee’s allegations. Its leaders alleged that the TMC government had never attempted to build new canals and desilt old ones although floods caused by water released from DVC dams in the upper Damodar basin had been a regular phenomenon.