Overview

• Nearly 200,000 residents have been affected by what officials call the worst floods since 1978, with more than 2,000 people evacuated by boat to safety.
• Construction of five sluices is about 70% complete and the Chandreshwar Canal dredging is nearly finished under the state-funded programme.
• West Bengal plans to cover the full 1,500 crore-rupee cost of the Ghatal Master Plan over 2025–27 after the Centre granted investment clearance in 2022 but released no funds.
• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Irrigation Minister Manas Bhunia have accused the Damodar Valley Corporation of unannounced water discharges that worsened the flooding and demanded formal coordination.
• The BJP has challenged the Trinamool Congress’s handling of the project, arguing that sanctioned central funds remain unused and critiquing the state’s execution pace.