West Bengal CM Blames Damodar Valley Corporation for Floods, Calls It ‘Anti-Bengal Conspiracy

Quick Summary

• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of triggering flood-like situations in the State by suddenly increasing water discharge from its dams during peak monsoon this year.
• Ms. Banerjee stated that DVC’s water outflow from June to July 2025 was 50,287 lakh cubic metres,compared to 4,535 lakh cubic metres during the same period in 2024-a drastic increase.
• She claims this unprecedented release has caused widespread destruction: breaching embankments, damaging roads, destroying crops, and forcing evacuations.
• Mamata Banerjee referred to the situation as a “man-made catastrophe” and alleged a “deep conspiracy.”
• Irrigation Minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia blamed ineffective dam management by DVC and heavy rainfall for severe floods that began in June. He also cited siltation issues due to lack of dredging in DVC reservoirs.
• the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee allegedly ignored requests for coordinated water release management.
• On August 4th at 5 p.m., DVC issued a flood warning for Panchet Dam regarding imminent large-volume releases.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The flooding crisis highlights critical issues pertaining to dam management during peak monsoon seasons. While natural factors such as heavy rainfall play a role, accusations against DVC underline concerns about human intervention exacerbating disasters.This puts into focus how reservoir regulation committees manage large-scale infrastructure spread across multiple states like West Bengal and Jharkhand amidst climatic unpredictability.

Failure to address longstanding issues like siltation or coordinate outflows effectively poses risks not just for disaster-prone regions downstream but also raises broader questions about inter-state cooperation between State governments and Central agencies. Ensuring adequate dredging operations and transparent communication may help mitigate future crises while reducing cropped-up tensions over resource use within federal dynamics.

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