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**West Bengal CM Accuses Center of Flood Relief Neglect, Blames DVC for Unplanned Water Release**

**Kolkata, July 16, 2025** – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the central government of discriminatory practices regarding flood relief, alleging that while Assam receives aid during times of need, West Bengal is neglected. The Chief Minister also leveled accusations against the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), claiming that excess water released from DVC dams has led to widespread flooding across several districts in the lower Damodar region.

“The central government does not offer flood and disaster relief funds for her State but offers help to Assam in times of need. They only release water here and abandon us,” Banerjee stated during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Banerjee claimed that despite repeated warnings, the DVC has released heavy volumes of water from Jharkhand, exacerbating the monsoon flooding in West Bengal. She emphasized the state’s vulnerability due to its extensive network of rivers, lakes, and ponds, and highlighted the creation of five lakh new ponds to absorb rainwater. She claimed that five lakh ponds have been dug up in the State in recent years to absorb some of the rainwater and reduce the burden on people.

The districts of Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, and Howrah have been particularly hard hit, grappling with waterlogging for weeks. “Be it DVC, Panchet, Maithon, none of them are listening to us,” Banerjee said, adding that the state has been fighting this battle with DVC for 15 years. The CM noted her government has repeatedly requested the Central government to desilt the dams to add to their capacity. “They have released over 27,000 lacs cubic meters of water between June 18 to July 15,” Ms. Banerjee said.

DVC sources, speaking anonymously, refuted the claims of unplanned releases. They stated that water releases are determined through a collaborative process involving the West Bengal government, the Jharkhand government, DVC authorities, and the Central Water Commission. “They take view of all the stakeholders and advices about water release and we follow that order only, we do not decide water release amount on our own,” the official said.

CM Banerjee, in addition to criticizing the DVC, stated that she has urged the central government to find a resolution in multiple meetings. She urged government officials to closely monitor the flood situation, establish more relief centers, and ensure sufficient supplies of snake bite anti-venom and the proper maintenance of electric lines.

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