A worsening flood situation has gripped parts of South Bengal after the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) ramped up water discharge from its Durgapur Barrage, forcing authorities to issue an orange flood alert. Since Saturday morning, water has been released at a staggering rate of 70,475 cusecs, following continuous rainfall triggered by a low-pressure system over neighbouring Bihar and Jharkhand.
The intensified rainfall in Jharkhand has compelled DVC to escalate its water release, stoking fears of further inundation downstream. Alarmed by the rising water levels in multiple rivers, West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has urged the DVC to consult the state government before undertaking any future water release.
In response, DVC assured that water will now be discharged only in coordination with the State Irrigation Department, promising prior intimation to state officials. However, the assurance has done little to ease anxieties on the ground.
In Howrah's Amta-II block, two bamboo bridges in Gayen Para and Kuliya were swept away by the swelling river waters on Friday night, cutting off Bhatora Dipanchal from the mainland. The only remaining means of connectivity — a local ferry service — has also been suspended due to the dangerous river currents.
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Another bamboo bridge at Jangipara, linking Howrah to Hooghly, remains precariously intact. Meanwhile, the Mundeswari River continues to swell as phased releases from DVC intensify wave impacts across the region.
A swathe of South Bengal is under water, with Garbeta and Ghatal in West Midnapore, Arambagh and Goghat in Hooghly and several parts of Howrah and Bankura facing significant flooding. In Amta, locals allege that uncoordinated DVC water discharge has worsened the crisis.
The geographical vulnerability of areas like Ghatal — often described as a "pot" due to its inability to drain water — has amplified the devastation. Continuous rainfall from Monday through Thursday caused massive waterlogging, exacerbated by subsequent DVC discharges.
To tackle the emergency, the state administration has activated 21 relief camps, particularly in Garbeta-I and Garbeta-II, sheltering over 2,500 displaced residents from areas including Agra, Dhadika, Kharkushma, Baramura, Sandhipur, Jogardanga, and Amlashuli.
Sources at Nabanna, the state secretariat, confirm that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken direct command of the situation, assigning cabinet ministers to oversee relief operations in flood-affected districts which include Manas Bhuiyan in West Midnapore, Malay Ghatak in Bankura-Purulia and Firhad Hakim in Hooghly’s Arambagh and Goghat, The Chief Minister has ordered round-the-clock monitoring, instructing officials to remain on high alert in anticipation of more rainfall.
While rainfall subsided on Friday and Saturday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast very heavy rain from Sunday onwards, raising fears that the already-delicate flood situation could rapidly deteriorate if further water is released from DVC reservoirs.
In Bankura, where floodwaters had begun to recede by Thursday, renewed rainfall and DVC activity could reverse gains made in the past 48 hours.
Alongside displacements, vast stretches of farmland have been destroyed, severely impacting the region’s agrarian economy. The damage has sparked renewed calls to expedite the Ghatal Master Plan, a long-proposed infrastructure solution to prevent recurrent flooding in West Midnapore.
Villagers, some of whom recall the devastating floods of 1978, blame mismanaged water releases for the current disaster. Many demand accountability and more robust flood-prevention mechanisms in the long term.
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As South Bengal braces for another round of heavy rain, the situation remains precarious, with government machinery stretched thin and thousands of lives hanging in the balance. The coming days will be crucial in determining whether administrative action and weather conditions align to prevent a full-scale humanitarian crisis.
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