Bengal CM Mamata Writes To PM Modi, Threatens To Cut Ties With DVC Over 'Man-Made' Floods, Urges Funds

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote to PM Modi about severe flooding caused by the unplanned release of water from DVC dams, affecting millions of people.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visits flood-affected areas

Source : PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in order to bring attention to severe flooding affecting South Bengal. The floods have impacted districts such as Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman, Bankura, Birbhum, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Medinipur, and Paschim Medinipur. She remarked that that the state would cut off all ties with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for unilaterally releasing water which led to floods in south Bengal districts.

In her letter, Banerjee attributed the floods to the "unprecedented, unplanned, and unilateral" release of nearly 5 lakh cusecs of water from the Maithon and Panchet dams, which is managed by the DVC. She called it the worst flood in Lower Damodar and surrounding areas since 2009, affecting over 1,000 square kilometres and nearly five million people.

I wrote to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi highlighting the devastation caused by the release of 5 lakh cusecs of water from DVC-controlled dams – a scale hitherto unwitnessed.

This MAN-MADE flood, the worst we have witnessed in the lower Damodar since 2009, has severely impacted over… pic.twitter.com/BEvmVtKBB7

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 20, 2024

The Chief Minister emphasised losses, including damage to crops, infrastructure, homes, and livestock due to floods. She noted that the state government is working tirelessly to provide relief, with evacuation efforts underway.

Banerjee paid her visit to the flood-affected areas and reported witnessing "utter misery of lakhs of our people and unprecedented destruction of property and infrastructure." She marked the floods as an "unplanned and uncoordinated release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) system," and called it a "man-made flood" caused due to neglegnce.

Through the letter, she expressed her displeasure at the DVC for failing to listen to requests from the state government regarding the rising water levels. Despite warnings about the critical condition of downstream rivers, the DVC increased the release of its water level from 90,000 cusec to 2,50,000 cusec within hours, causing the flood situation to worsen.

The Bengal Chief Minister demanded improved dam management, saying that "well-planned and calibrated dam management practices" may have lessened the suffering of the people.

In her letter, she claimed that siltation has caused the total live and flood storage capacity of the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs to decrease by 30 per cent. She urged the authorities to act immediately. She also criticised the DVC for allegedly harming West Bengal's interests by changing its emphasis from flood control to power generating. Banerjee also expressed alarm over the Ghatal Master Plan's inaction, which has made the area susceptible to flooding.

She warned that West Bengal may reconsider its relationship with the DVC if this unilateral approach continues, stressing that the state could not allow such suffering to continue. Banerjee concluded by requesting PM Modi to release funds for flood management to support the affected population.

Jharkhand Is Not Responsible For Bengal Floods: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's letter to Prime Minister Modi regarding the flood situation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticised both Banerjee and her Jharkhand counterpart, Hemant Soren, on Friday. Sarma accused Banerjee of "teaching a lesson to the people of Jharkhand by sealing its borders" while Bengal was grappling with severe floods, and claimed that Soren was remaining silent as "politics was more important to him."

"The people of Bengal are suffering from floods due to the failure of the Bengal government. But I am surprised that Mamata Didi is not venting her anger on her officers, but on the people of Jharkhand. She is teaching a lesson to the people of Jharkhand by sealing the state's border, and the honourable chief minister of Jharkhand (Hemant Soren) is silent," Sarma said in a post on X.

CM Sarma also mentioned that the BJP-led central government clarified that Jharkhand is not responsible for the Bengal floods.

"This issue is not related to any political party, it is a matter of honour for the people of Jharkhand. But JMM has maintained silence because for them the duty of politics is greater than the duty of the state. The people of Jharkhand should think whether you should give a chance again to a party which is unable to protect the dignity of its state?" he remarked.