Mamata visits flood affected areas in Hooghly, control room set in Nabanna

Several districts in South Bengal are under severe flood risk due to the release of water from two dams by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), compounded by persistent heavy rainfall. The state government is actively managing the crisis, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to assess the situation in Hooghly.

In response to the emergency, Chief Minister Banerjee has advised district magistrates to maintain high vigilance. Nabanna, the state secretariat, has opened a control room to coordinate flood management efforts. Officials have been instructed to be prepared for the evolving situation.

During her visit, Mamata Banerjee said that she called her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren thrice, urging him not to discharge more water downstream. “I spoke with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. I also spoke with DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation) and requested them not to discharge water (to Bengal). If they want to release water, they should give intimation. They can also discharge water slowly. But instead, they discharged 3.5 cusecs of water without informing us, which is unprecedented. To save their state (Jharkhand), they planned to flood Bengal,” Banerjee said.

Thousands of residents from Howrah, Bankura, Birbhum, and Hooghly districts have been relocated to safer locations. The government is ensuring adequate food and accommodation arrangements for those affected.

Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, announced that 10 senior officials have been deployed to oversee and manage the rescue and relief operations across the impacted districts. Bandyopadhyay emphasized that the Chief Minister has directed the chief secretary, relevant secretaries, and magistrates to implement detailed disaster management measures and to remain alert.