Overview

• On August 5, Mamata Banerjee toured flooded districts in South Bengal, calling the inundations a “man-made catastrophe” caused by unprecedented dam discharges.
• She announced post-assembly election measures including a ₹500 crore boost for the Ghatal Master Plan, plans to dredge 25 km of riverbed and strengthen embankments.
• Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil rebutted deliberate-flood claims, citing multistakeholder DVRRC regulation and inflows 16 times higher than in 2024 and 43 times higher than in 2023.
• Parliament was informed that between June 18 and July 15 the DVC released 27,987 lakh cubic metres from Panchet and Maithon reservoirs, with daily peaks capped at 70,000 cusecs.
• Persistent waterlogging has left thousands displaced in Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly and Howrah, renewing calls for dredging and robust flood defenses under evolving centre-state flood management frameworks.