Flood-like situation in South Bengal as rain, DVC water release raise river levels

The Hindu

5 hours ago

Continuous rainfall over the past several days, combined with the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), has caused a sharp rise in river levels across several southern districts of West Bengal, leading to flood-like conditions in large parts of the region.
Flooding has been reported in Garbeta, Chandrakona, and Ghatal in Paschim Midnapore district, and in areas of Bankura, Hooghly, and Howrah. Several houses, roads, and agricultural fields remain submerged, while rain-fed rivers such as the Silabati have witnessed a marked increase in water levels.
In Ghatal, local authorities have introduced boat services to facilitate access to essentials like food and medicines.
Relief camps have been set up in the affected districts by the State government, with evacuation and rescue operations underway. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed to assist.
'We, along with the district administration, are inspecting the shelter homes and rescue operations. Efforts are being made to ensure there is not a single loss of life. We have also conducted a drone survey of the area to identify and quantify the amount of damage caused,' said Dhritiman Sarkar, Superintendent of Police, Paschim Midnapore.
Irrigation and Waterways Minister Manas Bhunia stated that the administration is monitoring the situation closely, particularly in Garbeta-I, Garbeta-II, and Chandrakona blocks.
'We have not received any support from the Central government since 2015. They have not given a single paisa… We have been telling the Centre for the last 12 years that the capacity of these dams has gone down. They have not acted on the crisis, and have deprived West Bengal,' Mr. Bhunia said.
On its official website, the DVC issued a flood warning on Saturday afternoon regarding the release of 60,000 cusecs of water from Maithon and Panchet dams.
Floods of this nature are a recurring problem in South Bengal, causing widespread hardship among farming-dependent communities. Last year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had termed the floods 'premeditated and man-made,' criticising the DVC for excess water release and the Centre for failing to undertake timely dredging of dams.
In the 2025–2026 State budget, the government announced a fresh allocation of ₹500 crore for the Ghatal Master Plan, a comprehensive flood management initiative aimed at improving conditions in the low-lying, flood-prone areas of the region.