India minister blames dam release for flooding

KOLKATA - A top politician in eastern India on Sept 20 blamed the authorities in a neighbouring state for causing a flooding crisis by opening dams after 26 people were killed and 250,000 others were forced to relocate.

Television news images showed rescuers in boats ferrying people to safety in West Bengal state, with a state-run hospital in one village completely inundated.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters that 26 people had been killed this week, with another 250,000 forced to leave their homes and find shelter.

She accused the authorities in neighbouring Jharkhand state of needlessly opening dam sluice gates and releasing the waters that had inundated her state.

“The flooding is man-made,” she said, adding that she had ordered the border with Jharkhand to be closed for three days.

Mr Supriyo Bhattacharya, a member of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand, said his state had no choice but to ease pressure on the dams.

“Holding back the water could have damaged the dams and led to massive floods in both the states,” he said.

“Our government will naturally protect the interests of the people of Jharkhand.”

The Damodar Valley Corporation, which manages dams along the Damodar River that flows through the states, said it had reduced the release of water on Sept 20 after the rain eased.

In West Bengal, railway employee Pradip Maity said most people living in his village of Ghatal had taken shelter in relief camps.

“Boats are now the only mode of transportation in the village,” he said.

Typhoon rains cause widespread destruction every year in India.

But experts say climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events. AFP