At Least 30 Killed Following Flooding in West Bengal

Kolkata: At least 30 people have been killed so far following a flood-like situation in West Bengal as heavy monsoon rain and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) releasing water wreaked havoc in Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Hooghly and Howrah districts.

Sources in the irrigation department on Saturday claimed that DVC released nearly 1.20 lakh cusec water - causing severe problems for the people in most of the affected districts. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a review meeting at state secretariat – Nabanna – and personally examined the ground realities.

She instructed all the district administrative officials to increase the supply chain of relief materials in all the affected villages. More than 400 relief camps were set up and nearly one lakh affected people are sheltered in these camps.

Most of the rivers are still flowing above danger mark. Indian Air Force helicopters were pressed in to service to rescue people from marooned villages as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team unable to reach in some of the affected areas.

In East Midnapore’s Pratapur village - nine children, two women and a man were airlifted and taken to Anukul Thakur Ashram for medical assistance. The Air Force rescue team also air dropped dry food packets and water pouches in some areas. On Sunday, once again they will assist the local administration in relief and rescue operation.

Mamata demanded that the DVC should immediately be reformed by the Centre. “The work of dredging in Ganga is pending for several years now. Dredging has not been done in Kolkata, nor in Haldia. There are several barrages under DVC which should have been cleaned and dredged. They are filled with silt. Had that been done, the water storage capacity would have increased by 2 lakh cusecs,” she said while adding that it’s a ‘man-made flood’.

“Since 2012, we have raised the issue of water-release by DVC. But no action has been taken. Even today they have released more than 1 lakh cusec of water. Low-lying areas of Labhpur in Birbhum district, Purulia, Ghatal in West Medinipur and Goghat, Arambagh in Hooghly districts have been inundated. This is caused mostly due to the discharge of water by DVC from its barrages,” she added.