Fri Oct 03 17:23:54 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**West Bengal CM Accuses DVC of “Reckless” Water Release, Threatening State with Floods**

**KOLKATA, October 3, 2025** – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has fiercely criticized the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for releasing 65,000 cusecs of water from its dams without prior notice, alleging the move puts the state in “immediate peril” amidst forecasts of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Banerjee, in a social media post on Friday, accused the DVC of attempting to inflict misery on the people of West Bengal during the festive season following Durga Puja. She described the action as “shameful and unacceptable,” adding that the impending natural calamity would be a “disaster manufactured by the DVC.”

“I will not allow anyone to carry out a Bisarjan (immersion) of Bengal,” Banerjee stated, vowing to resist any conspiracy against the people of her state.

The DVC, a multipurpose river valley project under the Union Ministry of Power, manages a network of dams in the Damodar river valley area, spanning Jharkhand and West Bengal. The agency issued an orange flood warning on its website upon releasing nearly 70,000 cusecs of water from the Maithon and Panchet dams around 9:30 am on Friday. They estimate the water will impact downstream regions of West Bengal between October 3rd and 6th.

Minister for Irrigation and Waterways, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, confirmed that the DVC released over 1.5 lakh cusecs of water cumulatively in the past two days without informing the state government. He identified Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, Howrah, Murshidabad, and parts of Paschim Midnapore as particularly vulnerable to flooding. He added that all district and police officials have been alerted and a control room has been established for monitoring.

This is not the first time Banerjee has criticized the DVC. Similar accusations were made in July and August when the state government alleged the agency’s water releases during heavy rainfall caused flood-like conditions in low-lying areas. While the DVC maintains that releases are necessary for water management and done in coordination with West Bengal officials, Banerjee has accused them of poor dam management and lack of transparency.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across several districts of West Bengal from October 3rd to 9th, including Birbhum, Murshidabad, Paschim Midnapore, Purba Midnapore, and South 24 Parganas, as well as the northern districts of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, and Alipurduar. The DVC’s water release could exacerbate the situation.

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