DVC's Reduced Water Release Triggers Flood-like Situation in West Bengal

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has reduced water release from its barrages, causing a flood-like situation in West Bengal's southern districts. The situation is expected to worsen over the next 2-3 days. Two people have died, and 25,000 have been relocated. Disaster relief teams are actively working in affected areas.

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has reduced water released from its barrages, resulting in a flood-like situation across several southern districts of West Bengal, according to an official spokesperson on Wednesday.

The crisis is anticipated to escalate over the next 2-3 days as the water released earlier reaches already affected districts. 'The DVC released 2.1 lakh cusec of water last night. However, as the rainfall ceased in the upper catchment areas, the release was gradually reduced to 1.7 lakh cusec by 8:30 am and further to 1.4 lakh cusec by 10:45 am from the Panchet and Maithon dams,' said DVC Maithon Chief Engineer Anjani K. Dubey.

Any water release above 1.5 lakh cusec is marked as a 'red alert,' while releases between 1 lakh and 1.5 lakh cusec trigger an 'orange alert.' Parts of Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, and Paschim Bardhaman districts have been inundated. Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, reported that two fatalities have occurred, and about 25,000 people have been relocated to safer places.

(With inputs from agencies.)