Damodar Valley Corporation releases 55,000 cusecs from its reservoirs, fresh flood fears in south Bengal

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) released 55,000 cusecs of water from its Maithon and Panchet reservoirs in Jharkhand on Monday, raising fresh flood concerns in the southern districts of West Bengal, officials said.

The situation following the release of water is being closely monitored to prevent a flood-like situation as rivers in the region are already swollen by heavy rainfall in recent weeks, a state Irrigation Department official said.

The DVC released 70,000 cusecs of water from its reservoirs on September 3, drawing sharp criticism from the West Bengal government as fears of flood gripped the downstream districts.The state government accused the DVC of releasing water without proper coordination, alleging that the discharge heightened flood risks, with several rivers flowing above the danger level.

The renewed flood threat in the southern districts comes even as north Bengal reels under the impact of incessant rains.

So far, 24 people have been killed in the landslides triggered by the rains in the Darjeeling district, officials said.