Within the letter, dated September 21, Banerjee expressed her disagreement with the central authorities’s dealing with of the scenario.She claimed that the discharge of water from the DVC reservoirs was carried out unilaterally, with out adequate enter from her authorities. In response to Banerjee, choices associated to water administration have been made by the Central Water Fee and the ministry of Jal Shakti and not using a consensus being reached with West Bengal authorities.
Banerjee additional alleged that water releases generally happen with out advance discover to the state, hampering catastrophe preparedness. She highlighted {that a} peak water launch, lasting for 9 hours, was initiated with solely 3.5 hours of discover, which she stated was insufficient for efficient catastrophe administration.
She took to Twitter and stated, “That is my second letter to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India relating to the devastating MAN-MADE flood in South Bengal attributable to unprecedented launch of water by DVC.”
In an earlier letter to the Prime Minister on September 20, Banerjee said that the floods had affected 5 million folks and urged the central authorities to launch emergency funds to help in restoration efforts.
Responding to Banerjee’s considerations, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil defended the DVC’s actions. In his letter, Paatil said that West Bengal officers had been knowledgeable at each stage of the water launch course of. He emphasised that the choice to launch water was needed to forestall a bigger catastrophe. Paatil clarified that the releases have been managed by the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), which incorporates representatives from the Central Water Fee, the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand, and the DVC.
Paatil additionally famous that from September 14 to 17, the discharge of water from the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs was diminished by 50% on the request of West Bengal officers resulting from heavy rainfall within the area.
Banerjee, nonetheless, maintained that her authorities’s views have been typically disregarded and urged for a extra collaborative method in dealing with such crucial choices. She reiterated her name for pressing central funds to deal with the widespread injury attributable to the floods.
