‘DVC releases more than 27K lakh cubic metres of water to Bengal’

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday told the Parliament in a response to an unstarred question that the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has discharged a large amount of water — more than 27,987 lakh cubic metres — to the state of West Bengal from its Maithon and Panchet reservoirs from June 18 to July 15 this year. The data was presented in the Rajya Sabha officially in answer to a query put by Trinamool Congress Upper House member Ritabrata Banerjee on the recent release of waters and if the state government had been approached during the procedure.

Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil, in a written response, validated the numbers and ensured that water release was done after proper consultation and coordination. The minister explained that the discharge decisions from the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs are not one-sided but are made by the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), which is a multi-agency body.

The DVRRC, which is responsible for managing reservoir operations in the Damodar Valley system, operates under the chairmanship of the Member (River Management) of the Central Water Commission (CWC), New Delhi. It consists of important representatives of the CWC, DVC, and the West Bengal and Jharkhand state governments.

Emphasising the mechanism used in making such decisions, the minister also revealed that the DVRRC follows a methodical and scientific approach to govern water release. This is done strictly in terms of the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Manual — a document approved solely to regulate water management throughout DVC’s infrastructure.

The handbook offers a systematic template to ensure water discharges are maximally utilised to meet several purposes such as flood control, supply of drinking water, irrigation, navigation, and industrial purposes. The target, the officials explained, is to balance the interests of all parties — both state governments and the DVC — in a concerted and equitable way.

The minister’s reply seems to dismiss any rumours that the West Bengal government was left out of the process.