Mamata blames DVC for ‘man-made' floods in South Bengal: ‘They released 30 times more water than in 2023'
Last year, Banerjee had criticised the DVC for releasing water without consulting the West Bengal government, and withdrew members from DVRRC, the country's first river management project, targeting Jharkhand for the then floods in Bengal.
In an X post on Monday, she called the recent floods a 'man-made catastrophe'.
'The DVC has failed Bengal this year to an unprecedented degree. Clearly, the Centrally administered agency is becoming more and more anti-Bengal, in keeping with the ecosystem that the Central establishment is trying to generate all over India today,' she said.
'There is a systematic attempt to trigger more and more flood-like situations across South Bengal.' She shared the purported comparison data of outflow during June and July in 2024 and 2025. According to Banerjee, DVC's outflow in 2024 is 4,535 lakh cubic metres which increased this year to 50,287 lakh cubic metres.
'This massive, sudden, unprecedentedly high release during peak monsoon this year has devastated our districts, destroying huge crops, breaching a large number of embankments, damaging numerous roads, and forcing thousands to evacuate,' Banerjee claimed, 'I detect deep conspiracy in this! This must stop at once!'
However, DVC sources claimed that a huge amount of rain in Damodar valley this year forced them to release water. A senior official of DVC said, 'We informed the state government before releasing water from the barrage.'
Several regions, including Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman, Purulia, Bankura, and Jhargram districts have been inundated over the past few weeks amid continuous heavy rainfall and water releases.
Last year amidst Banerjee's revolt against the DVC, West Bengal's Power Secretary and IAS 2000 batch officer Santanu Basu also stepped down from the Board of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). The seven-member DVC Board consists of the Chairman, four Members of DVC and three representatives of government shareholders — one each from the Centre, West Bengal and Jharkhand. The Chief Engineer (Irrigation and Waterways), West Bengal, also resigned to voice protest against the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC).
(The author is an intern with The Indian Express)
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