While preparing its reply to the Bengal government’s charges of ‘man-made’ flood by releasing flood water without informing the state, the Damodar Valley Corporation dams intends to go for further enhanced discharge to create space for more water inflow from the upper catchment areas. As Alipore made a fresh seven days forecast of heavy rains with thunderstorms across South Bengal and Jharkhand, the DVC discharged more water this evening aiming to vacate at least 7 feet more space each in the upper dams for rain water inflow from the upper catchment areas.

The combined discharge from the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs was scaled up to 65,000 Cusecs, from 49,000 Cusecs yesterday. “The discharge may be further enhanced a little after late evening,” a DVC official said. The Maithon and Panchet dams recorded water levels of 483.75 feet & 414.39 feet in the late afternoon today which the DVC and the Central Water Commission required to lower further. Shashi Rakesh, Member Secretary, Damodar Valley River Regulation Committee said: “We’re aiming to bring down Maithon to a comfortable level of 475 feet and of Panchet to 408 feet. Considering the weather forecast, we need to create substantial space for fresh inflowing by lowering the level by at least 7 feet in each of the dams.”

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The Guide Curves indicating the bearable flood cushion space of the Maithon and Panchet dams were recorded at 467.42 feet and 402.92 feet, which should be sufficient to handle any sudden inflow hike. The Bengal Chief Minister had blamed the DVC for creating a ‘man-made’ flood like situation in the Lower Damodar Basin. The state’s Chief Secretary, BP Gopalika has inked a letter to the Chairman, DVC, following Chief Minister’s charges and sought an explanation. The Maithon authority today prepared a 20 pages reply to the Chief Secretary’s charges. At 2:15 pm today, the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, Kolkata, issued a special bulletin indicating heavy rainfall (7 – 11 cm) in several districts including East & West Burdwan, Bankura, Purulia, Hooghly and Howrah, besides Kolkata from Wednesday evening for a week.

This heavy rain, the irrigation officials apprehend, will hit Damodar (East) region in the upper catchment and Damodar (West) region in the Lower Valley. Several villages in Purbasthali like Jhaudanga and in Memari, Jamalpur were inundated following continued discharge by the Durgapur Barrage. The Barrage maintained 58,000 Cusecs of water release today afternoon, which the officials hinted is likely to be enhanced tomorrow