West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has once again accused the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of triggering recurrent floods across south Bengal by releasing large volumes of water from its reservoirs without consulting the state government. Chairing a high-level review meeting at Nabanna on Tuesday, Banerjee said that DVC has discharged nearly 27,000 lakh cubic metres of water into Bengal’s rivers since June 18, aggravating flood-like conditions in several districts.
Expressing frustration over what she termed a “14-year-long fight without result,” Banerjee said the releases from DVC’s Maithon and Panchet reservoirs were being done to protect Jharkhand at the cost of flooding West Bengal. “They are saving themselves, but letting Bengal suffer,” she said, stressing that her government’s repeated appeals to the Centre and DVC officials have been ignored.
Flooding has already inundated low-lying areas, including the vulnerable Ghatal block in Paschim Medinipur, which has faced multiple spells of inundation this monsoon season. While the state has implemented several water retention initiatives such as building over 5 lakh ponds and 500 check dams with World Bank assistance these have not been enough to prevent floods triggered by sudden dam discharges.
Banerjee held the central government responsible for failing to carry out dredging in downstream rivers that, she claimed, could have held an additional 4 lakh cubic metres of water. She contrasted Bengal’s situation with that of Assam, alleging the Centre provides adequate flood management funds to Assam but not to Bengal. “In our case, their responsibility ends with releasing the water that floods our lands,” she remarked.
The Chief Minister also outlined the state’s preparedness, directing officials to evacuate people from vulnerable zones to flood shelters and provide food, medicines, tarpaulins, and snakebite antidotes. She instructed the power department to run safety campaigns, urging residents to stay away from electricity poles during heavy rains.
Highlighting long-term plans, Banerjee said the Ghatal Master Plan aimed at addressing flood issues in the worst-hit areas is being implemented and is expected to be completed within two years. She also announced an expansion of the ‘Banglar Bari’ rural housing scheme, promising construction of 28 lakh new homes by May 2026, in addition to the 47 lakh already built in partnership with the Centre.
To strengthen flood response coordination, the Chief Minister directed the setting up of control rooms in flood-prone districts for 24×7 monitoring and immediate reporting to the Chief Secretary in case of emergencies.
Despite the ongoing crisis, Banerjee reaffirmed that there would be no shortage of funds for relief efforts, vowing full support to affected families as the state braces for further monsoon challenges.