West Bengal floods: CM Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Modi; threatens to sever ties with DVC

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee requests PM Modi to address flood crisis caused by DVC, threatens to sever ties.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (September 20, 2024) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the State would sever all ties with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for "unilaterally releasing water" which led to floods in south Bengal districts.

In a four-page letter to PM Modi, she claimed that five million people in West Bengal have been affected by the floods and requested him to immediately sanction and release Central funds to address the widespread devastation caused by the deluge.

"I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that as a result of an unprecedented, unplanned and unilateral release of an enormously huge volume of water of nearly five lakh cusec from the combined system of Maithon and Panchet dams owned and maintained by the DVC, all districts of South Bengal have been plunged into devastating floods causing severe-miseries to the common people," Ms. Banerjee wrote.

"If this unilateral approach continues, bringing hardship to the people of my State, we will be left with no option but to disengage entirely from DVC and withdraw our participation. We cannot allow this ongoing injustice to affect our people year after year," she warned.

“The flood-hit South Bengal districts are Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur,” she claimed.

"The State is now facing the biggest flood in Lower Damodar and adjoining areas after 2009. More than 1,000 sqkm stands affected and nearly five million people of the State have been drawn into the vortex of miseries for loss of crops, damages to public infrastructure and private assets, including houses, cattle...I am compelled to call it a manmade flood," she wrote.

The Bengal CM said information about the critical condition of downstream rivers, already flowing close to or above the extreme danger level, was provided to the DVC authorities by officials of the State Government along with the request to defer the release of water that is made from time to time. Ms. Banerjee said, “I also spoke with the DVC chairman over the phone on September 16 night.”