India Clarifies Inaccuracies Regarding Gumti River Dam and Bangladesh Floods

India has refuted reports in Bangladesh claiming that recent floods were caused by the opening of the Gumti river dam in Tripura. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized the need for bilateral cooperation in managing shared river resources and highlighted that heavy rainfall was the primary cause of the floods.

India on Thursday dismissed as factually incorrect reports circulating in Bangladesh that suggested the current flood situation in some areas of the country was due to the opening of a dam on the Gumti river in Tripura.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement emphasizing that floods in shared rivers are a mutual problem impacting people on both sides of the border and warrant close cooperation for effective resolution.

'We have noticed concerns in Bangladesh about the floods in eastern border districts being attributed to the release of water from the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti river. This is factually incorrect,' the ministry asserted.

Additionally, the MEA pointed out that the catchment areas of the Gumti river have experienced heaviest rainfall of this year over the past few days, contributing primarily to the flooding downstream. The Dumbur dam is located more than 120 km upstream of Bangladesh and is a low-height structure generating power, with 40MW supplied to Bangladesh from Tripura.

'We have water-level observation sites at Amarpur, Sonamura, and Sonamura 2 along the 120-km river course,' the ministry stated.

Heavy rainfall has continued since August 21 in Tripura and nearby districts in Bangladesh, leading to automatic releases of water. Despite a power outage due to flooding hindering communication, India has maintained data transmission to Bangladesh through other means.

The MEA underscored the significance of river-water cooperation as the two countries share 54 common cross-border rivers, committing to resolving water resources management issues via bilateral consultations and technical discussions.

(With inputs from agencies.)