Damodar Valley Project At Centre Of Durgapur’s Tale Of Sorrow

“We felt trapped in our homes as sewage entered… We usually eat our food sitting on the floor, but those two days we had to sit atop a table,” said Mousumi Bhattacharya (49), a resident of Ward 42 of Durgapur.

Priyobroto Chaudhary (41), a pharmacist at Ward 13 primary municipal healthcare centre, explained how residents had to be evacuated by boat to nine relief camps set up in nearby primary schools on August 1.

Local business owner Rahul Tiwari (32), also a resident of Ward 13, described how businesses were affected. “The day it rained, water-filled every nook and corner. Houses were inundated, and by morning, we were sitting atop our beds. We swam out of our homes and boarded rescue boats. In the following days, our shops remained closed as the water was up to my chest level.”

The evacuation efforts were led by the Civil Defence Forces and the National Disaster Response Force, with the Durgapur Municipal Corporation (DMC) at the forefront. However, the resources were insufficient. Goswami, a supervisor at the number 4 borough office in Durgapur, said that they had only one boat, which was dispatched with 10 to 12 men. All borough offices sent their personnel along with boats, but as a DMC official admitted, some areas had to rely on self-evacuation due to workforce shortage.

In a meeting convened after the floods, the chief secretary directed the DVC chairman to consult the West Bengal government before releasing water from dams. The chief secretary also highlighted the need for staggered water releases to prevent large-scale submergence. Just days before this meeting, the Tamla canal, filled with industrial discharge and urban sewage, overflowed and entered buildings in Durgapur.

Local fisherman Haradhon Mondal (52) recounted how the Damodar swelled up on August 1. “When the water rose, I along with two friends were able to rescue a few nearby slum dwellers using our boats… Flooding happens every year, especially on the Bankura side of the Damodar as it is a low-lying region. It is stabilised on the Paschim Bardhaman side with sandbags [trap bags].”

The bigger picture

The Damodar originates in the Palamu Hills of Chota Nagpur in Jharkhand and flows in a southeasterly direction before entering West Bengal’s Burdwan district, where it abruptly changes course to a southerly direction and ultimately joins the Hooghly. The DVC manages the dams at Maithon, Panchet, Tilaiya and Konar, as well as small reservoirs Charwa and Gonda. The barrage across River Damodar is in Durgapur.

A dam is built for storage, whereas a barrage is to divert water to canals when the reservoir is full. During a flood, a barrage can open all its lock gates to enable the complete flow of water forward and into its canal systems.

The primary factor contributing to the recent deluge was the pressure built by Maithon and Panchet dams. This is why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee notified her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren to monitor water release from his state’s dams.

Former DVC chief civil engineer Satyabrata Banerjee told 101Reporters that Durgapur does not have a flood protection mechanism in place. “Maithon and Panchet dams can reduce the pressure on Durgapur by storing excess water and releasing it in a staggered manner,” Satyabrata said.

The Damodar turns into a political battlefield every monsoon season with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) clashing over what is described as man-made floods. “The DVC again released water to create a man-made flood. It does not release water in summer when farmers need it for irrigation. As the water level rises because of heavy rainfall in Jharkhand, they release water to cause danger,” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh wrote on X.

Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar countered, “The DVC always provides information to the state government regarding the release of water. Last year, the government alleged the same, and the DVC proved that it had communicated with the state government. The fact is that the state government does not work accordingly.”

Constraints and criticisms

The DVC has long been criticised for allegedly causing man-made floods in West Bengal’s lower Damodar region. Satyabrata, who has over 30 years of experience, has previously addressed the constraints and criticism that limit DVC’s flood management capabilities in his study, Damodar Basin Water Management System – A Review on Critical Issues and Performance.

One of the major issues is the inadequate storage capacity of DVC dams. The original DVC plan envisioned seven dams to manage a peak flood discharge of 28,317 cubic metres per second (cumec). However, only four dams —Tilaiya, Maithon, Konar and Panchet — were completed by 1959, providing just 1,291 million cubic metres (MCM) of flood storage, or 36% of the originally planned 3,596 MCM. Land acquisition issues further reduced the flood storage capacity at Maithon by 5 ft and Panchet by 10 ft, exacerbating the problem.

DVC has also faced criticism for not taking sufficient action to dredge its reservoirs to improve flood moderation. Sedimentation is a natural process that reduces the flood storage capacity over time. For instance, sedimentation has reduced the total flood storage capacity of Maithon and Panchet dams by approximately 14%, with dead storage capacity decreasing by 55% and live storage capacity by 33%. Despite the enormous costs associated with dredging — estimated at around ₹50,000 crore —DVC and the Central Water Commission have concluded that such an effort would have a minimal impact on flood moderation.

Another major constraint is the reduced channel capacity of the Damodar. After the commissioning of DVC dams, the river’s capacity to carry floodwater has drastically reduced due to human activities such as cultivation, encroachment and siltation. The river’s current capacity is just 3,539 cumec (1,25,000 cubic feet per second or cusec). It comes to only 50% of the original design capacity of 7,079 cumec (2,50,000 cusec). This reduction makes the area highly vulnerable to flooding, even with moderate water releases.

“The main problem is downstream of Durgapur, where the riverine gets constricted due to rapid urbanisation,” Damodar Headworks Executive Engineer Sanjoy Majumdar told 101Reporters.

Tidal and sedimentation effects further limit the discharge capacity of the Damodar. The siltation of the Roopnarayan and Hooghly at their outfall points, combined with tidal effects, means that even a small flood release of 2,831 cumec (1,00,000 cusec) from DVC dams can inundate areas such as Khanakul and Arambagh.

Built by the Bihar government in 1980, Tenughat Dam was not included in the DVC’s unified flood management system. Its uncoordinated releases often complicate flood management efforts in downstream regions. Recently, Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the sudden release of water from the dam, now in Jharkhand, causing floods in parts of southern Bengal. She urged Hemant Soren to monitor water releases to prevent further flooding. She also instructed district magistrates in affected areas to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions.

“Many places, from Durgapur to Birbhum, face flood-like situations. DVC has to report to us, then only discharge water. If the central government conducts dredging activity properly in the Ganga, we will not face a flood-like situation,” Mamata was quoted as saying.

However, DVC maintained that all releases are managed systematically. Flood warnings are issued six hours in advance, and data is communicated to relevant authorities and displayed on the DVC website.

Future plans

DVC’s financial health has been severely impacted by debt from the expansion of 5,000 MW thermal power projects during the 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans. This financial strain, coupled with conflicts between the DVC Act and state laws, limits DVC’s ability to undertake significant improvements in its water management system.

Despite these challenges, DVC has outlined several key initiatives to enhance its water management system. One major step is the need for land acquisition up to the maximum water levels of the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs. This would allow full utilisation of existing flood storage capacity. However, progress has been slow.

In the lower Damodar region, the state government is working on a $143 million project to improve drainage, including desilting channels, connecting waterways and constructing embankments. Floodplain zoning and disaster preparedness are also prioritised.

To meet future water demands, DVC has proposed building the Belpahari Dam, which would increase flood moderation and storage capacity. The project is awaiting approval from stakeholders. Upgrades at Tenughat Dam are also necessary, including land acquisition and repairs, to maximise its flood storage potential.

DVC is modernising its real-time data collection, flood forecasting and decision-making systems through the World Bank-funded National Hydrology Project. Rehabilitation work on the Maithon, Panchet and Konar dams is underway, focusing on updating key mechanical components. Finally, DVC stresses the importance of rationalising water use for irrigation, municipalities and industries to ensure sustainable management in the future.

As the floodwaters begin to recede, the debate around DVC’s role in flood management continues. However, for the residents of Durgapur and its surroundings, the immediate concern is to get life back to normal.

a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)