News Analysis India

Tag: Bengal floods

  • CM Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Modi, seeks permanent solution to ‘man-made’ Bengal floods

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: With several districts of West Bengal getting flooded by water discharged from dams and barrages in Jharkhand and those maintained by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a permanent solution to the recurring problem.

    In a four-page letter sent on Tuesday, the chief minister alleged that the floods were “man-made” and caused by “uncontrolled and unplanned” discharge of water from DVC dams in Jharkhand’s Panchet and Maithon.

    Referring to an earlier letter she had written on August 4 in this connection, Banerjee said, “I had highlighted the structural factors that give birth to grave man-made flood situation in southern Bengal, repeatedly, pitifully and tragically.”

    Unless the Government of India addresses the basic underlying structural and managerial issues, both on a short term and on a long-term basis, the disasters will continue unmitigated in our lower riparian state.

    The TMC chief said she hasn’t received any reply to her previous letter.

    “The issues that I raised affect millions of lives, and I request that the Government of India should get into some serious actions without further delay,” the letter read.

    Banerjee also alleged that the DVC authorities did not pay heed to IMD warnings of heavy rainfall, and “kept the water discharge from the dams at a low level and when there was heavy rainfall, it discharged about 10 lakh acre-feet of water between September 30 and October 2, which caused serious devastation in lower Damodar region before the festive season”.

    She has also given a date-wise list of water discharged from Maithon and Panchet dams.

    “This annual problem requires immediate short-term and long-term measures so that the sufferings of the people are mitigated and the national loss in terms of loss of life and property is avoided.

    “I seek your kind immediate intervention so that the Ministry concerned of the Government of India is requested to engage with the Governments of West Bengal and Jharkhand and the authorities of the DVC, to help in arriving at a permanent solution to this problem of our state occurring year after year,” she said.

    Incidentally, parts of south Bengal were flooded in early August, and Banerjee had alleged that the “man-made” disaster was caused due to excessive release of water by the DVC, claiming 16 lives and affecting lakhs of farmers.

    Last week, Banerjee had held the Jharkhand government and the DVC responsible for the current flood situation in the southern part of West Bengal.

    She contended that it was caused due to unplanned and enhanced discharge of water from dams and barrages in Jharkhand without prior information to her administration.

    Banerjee claimed that the reservoirs in Jharkhand have not been cleaned for the last 50 years, and warned of “massive protests” if dredging of dams and barrages was not done on an urgent basis to prevent the recurring floods.

  • Bengal flood situation improves with decrease in rainfall, water receding

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The flood situation in seven districts of West Bengal improved slightly with a decrease in rainfall and water receding from the inundated areas, a state government official said on Sunday.

    Though water receded in the flood-affected areas, over three lakh displaced people remained at the several rescue centres spread over the seven districts.

    “The flood situation has improved slightly in the affected districts owing to less rainfall,” the official said.

    The district authorities have been instructed to keep adequate rations, medicines and clothes at the shelters and to be ready to tackle the outbreak of any water-borne diseases.

    At least 23 people died in the flood.

    A Damodar Valley Corporation official said it released 40,000 cusec of water from its barrages on Sunday.

    Several places in Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Howrah and South 24 Parganas have been affected by floods owing to heavy rain and overflowing rivers.

    The most-inundated areas are Khanakul in Hooghly and Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur.

    The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force were engaged in rescue and relief operations in Khanakul and adjoining areas, the official said.

    IAF helicopters rescued 31 people and the Army deployed an infantry column for rescue works.

    The Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rainfall in all the districts of West Bengal for the next five days.

    It said sub-Himalayan districts such as Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri are likely to receive heavy rain at one or two places.

    Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman recorded the highest rainfall at 78 mm in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Sunday, the Met Office said.

    Darjeeling received 55 mm rainfall, Contai in Purba Medinipur 51 mm and Bankura 45 mm during the period, it said.

  • Bengal flood man-made, caused by excessive release of water: Mamata to Modi

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: After taking stock of the flood situation in parts of south Bengal districts, CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to PM Narendra Modi alleging that excessive release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) resulted in the “man-made” flood and sought his intervention for drafting a plan to upgrade the dam in the region.

    Mamata, in her four-page letter, said 16 persons died in the flood and lakhs of farmers lost their livelihood.

    Earlier in the day, Modi telephoned Mamata to seek updates on the flood situation and assured her of assistance from the Centre

    “In respect of the current flood, we will shortly be sending our damage assessment for your kind intervention. I would reiterate the need to develop holistic and long-term solutions in respect to the augmentation of the storage capacity of the DVC system to ensure that West Bengal is spared the regular devastation and suffering from man-made floods perpetrated by huge releases from DVC dams,” Mamata wrote.

    Expressing her discontent over the issue of financial help to combat natural calamity, Mamata alleged, “Despite the state being regularly ravaged by natural disasters in the form of cyclones and man-made floods which we are presently witnessing, no financial help has been forthcoming from the Centre. The state has to cope with compensating the loss of lives and property from our meagre resources.”      

    During the conversation over the phone, Mamata complained to Modi that the DVC allegedly released water from its dams in an unplanned manner causing a man-made flood situation in the state, said an official of the state government.

    In a Tweet issued by the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said that Modi assured Bengal government of all possible support from the Centre.

    “PM@Narendramodi spoke to WB CM@MamataOfficial on the flood situation caused by water discharge from dams in parts of the state. PM assured all possible support from the Centre to help mitigate the situation. PM Modi prays for the safety and wellbeing of those in the affected areas,” the PMO tweeted.

  • MeT department predicts more rainfall in flood-hit West Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The already grim flood situation in south Bengal is likely to worsen with the MeT department on Wednesday predicting heavy rainfall in the region owing to a cyclonic circulation over the north Bay of Bengal and the presence of an active monsoon trough.

    Several districts, including South 24 Parganas, Howrah, East Midnapore and Hooghly, are reeling under flood woes following heavy rain and subsequent discharge of water from Damodar Valley Corporation dams.

    “Due to a cyclonic circulation over north Bay of Bengal and its adjoining areas and the movement of a monsoon trough from Sriniketan, Diamond Harbour to northeast Bay of Bengal, widespread rainfall activity is likely in the districts of Gangetic West Bengal from August 4 to 6,” regional MeT department director GK Das said.

    He warned of heavy to very heavy rain at one or two places in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Howrah and Hooghly districts till Thursday morning.

    The MeT department said that heavy rain is expected to occur at one or two places in Kolkata, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum and Jhargram districts. The downpour is likely to continue in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur till Friday morning, and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia districts till Saturday morning, it said.

    The weatherman also cautioned against rise in water level of rivers and inundation of low-lying areas in Gangetic West Bengal. At least 15 people died, and over three lakh got displaced after heavy rain over the past few days, followed by release of water from DVC dams flooded large parts of six districts in the state.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Chief Minister Banerjee earlier in the day to take stock of the flood situation, and assured her of central assistance.

  • West Bengal floods: PM Modi dials CM Mamata Banerjee, assures her of all help to mitigate situation

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday and took stock of the flood situation in the state, a senior official of the state government said. The prime minister assured Banerjee of all central assistance to mitigate the flood situation, he said.

    The chief minister, who was visiting flood-hit Udaynarayanpur in Howrah district, was learned to have told the prime minister that her administration will send a report to the PMO on the flood situation, and damages caused by the deluge after completing the survey, the official said.

    At least 15 people have been killed and nearly 3 lakh were displaced as large parts of six districts of the state have been inundated due to heavy rain and the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation and the Durgapur Barrage.

  • Bengal floods: 15 dead, 3 lakh affected; TMC, BJP engage in political slugfest

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: At least 15 people have died, and lakhs of people were rendered homeless or marooned, as the flood situation in six districts of West Bengal aggravated on Tuesday, triggering a slugfest between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP over the release of “excess water” by the DVC.

    Around three lakh people got displaced after heavy rain in the last few days, followed by discharge of water from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) dams, inundated major parts of the districts of Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Howrah and South 24 Parganas, officials said.

    The DVC, since July 31, has released 5.43 lakh cusec of water till Tuesday evening.

    Seven people died and 2.5 lakh have been affected by the flood Till Monday.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who keeps a tab on the relief and rescue operations and has sent ministers to the affected areas, is likely to conduct an aerial survey of Howrah and Hooghly districts on Wednesday to take stock of the situation.

    She will later conduct an administrative meeting, officials said.

    “We are collecting the details of all 15 people who have lost their lives due to the flood. Some deaths are due to electrocution, snake bite, wall collapse. We are waiting for a final report from district administrations,” an official said.

    Several areas in the six affected districts are reeling under flood, with people struggling to wade through waist-deep water.

    The districts of Hooghly, Howrah and West Midnapore are among the worst affected due to the floods.

    Around 79,000 people were affected in Hooghly district alone, whereas crops and livestock worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed.

    “Around 345 villages are affected by the floods, and more than 34 thousand hectares of crop area have been damaged. Around 1159 houses have been damaged in the district. We are presently running 89 relief camps,” a Hooghly district official said.

    The situation was worse in Kolkata’s neighbouring Howrah district, where around 1.8 lakh people were affected as 10 gram panchayats were severely affected by the floods.

    “Seven Gram Panchayats are completely under water, and three are partially submerged. The Udaynarayanpur block is the worst affected,” a Howrah district official said.

    Water from the Rupnarayan and the Dwarakeswar rivers have overtopped banks and entered residential areas, flooding homes, the official said.

    State Irrigation Minister Soumen Mahapatra conducted a tour of the Udaynarayanpur block in Howrah district and took stock of the relief and rescue operation.

    The Paschim Medinipur district administration has opened 212 relief camps as areas under 172 gram panchayats and seven municipalities were flooded.

    The link road between towns of Keshpur and Medinipur is under water.

    Over one lakh tarpaulin, 1,000 MT of rice, thousands of drinking water pouches and clean clothes have been sent to the shelters homes, an official stated.

    On Monday, the Army and the Air Force had undertaken rescue operations in Hooghly district, where rivers have overtopped banks and flooded villages.

    The ongoing flood situation triggered a political slugfest between the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP.

    Mahapatra accused the Central government-owned DVC of releasing water and causing a “man-made flood” situation.

    “The DVC deliberately released so much of water that it led to a flood-like situation. The Central government deliberately created this man-made flood situation in Bengal. We condemn such politics,” Mahapatra told reporters after his visit to Howrah.

    BJP state spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya termed the allegations “baseless”.

    “Before making such allegations, the TMC government should know why the water was released.

    There must be a logic behind DVC releasing the water.

    The fact is the state government has failed to conduct relief and rescue operations properly and are now blaming others,” he said.

    The DVC on Saturday said the storage facilities at Panchet and Maithon dams have reached their capacities due to heavy inflow of water from upstream Jharkhand, and discharge under such circumstances was “unavoidable”.

    A DVC official stated that the corporation released 5.43 lakh cusec of water till Tuesday evening since July 31.

    Water discharge is regulated by Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee, which has a representative from the state government, the official said.

    Teams of NDRF and SDRF, along with the state administration, are involved in the relief and rescue operation.

  • CM Mamata Banerjee likely to conduct aerial survey of flood-hit areas in Bengal

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to conduct an aerial survey of two of the six flood-affected districts of the state on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, a source in the state secretariat said.

    At least 14 people died due to wall collapse or electrocution and nearly 2.5 lakh got displaced in six districts of West Bengal, where water released from the Damodar Valley Corporation dams (DVC) and heavy rain late last week have inundated streets and hamlets.

    “The CM is likely to take an aerial survey of the flood-affected Udaynarayanpur in Howrah district and Khanakul in Hooghly district tomorrow.

    ALSO READ | 14 dead, 2.5 lakh displaced as heavy rain, water discharged from dams flood Bengal

    She may be accompanied by the chief secretary (H K Dwivedi),” the source said on Tuesday.

    The other four flood-hit districts are Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas.

    Banerjee has directed her ministers to remain at their respective districts and supervise the relief and rescue works.

    Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee visited the flood-hit areas of Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur district on Tuesday.

  • 14 dead, 2.5 lakh displaced as heavy rain, water discharged from dams flood Bengal

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: At least 14 people died due to wall collapse or electrocution and nearly 2.5 lakh got displaced in six districts of West Bengal, where discharge of water from Damodar Valley Corporation dams, followed by heavy rain, has inundated streets and homes, a senior official said.

    The state government has set up shelter homes for those displaced, as relief operations, which began sometime last week, continue in the flood-affected areas, the official said.

    Several areas in Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Howrah and South 24 Parganas districts are reeling under waist-deep water, with people struggling to meet their basic needs, he said.

    Over one lakh tarpaulin, 1,000 MT of rice, thousands of drinking water pouches and clean clothes have been sent to the shelters homes, he stated.

    “We are collecting the details of all 14 people who have lost their lives due to the flood. We are waiting for a final report from the district administrations,” the official said.

    The Army and the Air Force had on Monday undertaken rescue operations in Hooghly district, where rivers have overtopped banks and flooded villages.

  • At least seven dead, 2.5 lakh affected as heavy rain, water discharged from dams flood Bengal

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: At least seven people have died and nearly 2.5 lakh have been displaced from their homes in six flood-hit districts of West Bengal, a senior state government official said on Monday.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directed ministers to keep a tab on the rescue operations and see that relief materials reach all affected people, he said.

    The Army and the Air Force on Monday undertook rescue and relief operations in Hooghly district, where many areas have been submerged due to excess rainfall and overflowing of rivers.

    Around 2.5 lakh people have been rescued and moved to shelter homes as a large number of houses were damaged in six districts of south Bengal, where water released from the Damodar Valley Corporation dams (DVC) and heavy rain late last week have inundated streets and hamlets.

    Several areas in Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Howrah and South 24 Parganas districts are reeling under flood, with people struggling to wade through waist-deep water.

    Seven people have died so far but their details are not available yet, the official said.

    During a Cabinet meeting held at the state secretariat, Banerjee directed ministers to be present at their respective districts and oversee the relief and rescue operations.

    Over one lakh tarpaulin, 1,000 MT of rice, thousands of drinking water pouches and clean clothes have been sent to the rescue shelters for those affected, the official stated.

    “We have not yet estimated the loss incurred due to the flood.

    As of now, our sole priority is to rescue the affected,” he said.

    Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee, who visited the flood-hit areas of Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur district during the day, said he would apprise Banerjee of the situation, and steps would be taken accordingly to tackle the situation.

    “I have witnessed several floods in the past, but the situation is terrible this time. The CM had asked me to look into the matter. After conducting this survey, I will report to her,” Mukherjee said.

    Water from Rupnarayan and Dwarakeswar rivers have overtopped banks and entered residential areas, flooding homes in Hooghly district, the official said.

    “At least one lakh people have been moved to safety in Hooghly district alone after their houses were damaged. There are several others who are still stranded on the roof of their homes or elevated structures,” he said, adding that NDRF personnel are working to rescue them.

    A Defence spokesperson said that helicopters and boats were used in relief and rescue operations in Hooghly district, following a request from the state government.

    Choppers dropped emergency food supplies in the affected areas.

    “Helicopters of Indian Air Force rescued 31 people from rooftops and brought them to safety to Arambagh,” he said.

    One flood-relief column of the Army was deployed at Dhanyaghari in Hooghly, the official said.

    Meanwhile, a DVC official said that water was last discharged from its dams on July 31.