West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concern over flooding in South Bengal, which she attributed to “abnormally heavy releases of water” from the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) reservoirs in Jharkhand.
In the letter dated Sept. 21, Banerjee criticised the central government’s handling of the situation, alleging that the water release from the DVC reservoirs was done unilaterally, without adequate consultation with West Bengal authorities. She pointed out that water management decisions were made by the Central Water Commission and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, without reaching a consensus with her government.
Banerjee noted that a peak water release, which lasted for nine hours, was initiated with only 3.5 hours’ notice, a time frame she deemed insufficient for disaster management preparation.
“The peak water releases from the reservoirs lasting for a prolonged period of 9 hours, were conducted with only 3.5 hours of notice, which proved insufficient for effective disaster management,” she wrote.
This marks the second time Banerjee has appealed to the Prime Minister for intervention. She posted a copy of the letter on social media platform X on Sunday, stating,”This is my second letter to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India regarding the devastating MAN-MADE flood in South Bengal caused by unprecedented release of water by DVC.”
In her previous letter, dated Sept. 20, Banerjee noted that the flooding had impacted five million people, causing significant damage to crops, homes, and public infrastructure. She urged the central government to release emergency funds to aid recovery efforts.
The state government is working hard to provide relief, with evacuation operations underway to move people to safer shelters, she added.
Banerjee called on Modi to personally intervene and release funds for flood management and relief efforts to support the affected population.
