The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has agreed to release irrigation water for five South Bengal districts, which will commence on 5 January for Rabi and 26 January for Boro cultivation in the first phase.

The concluding part of the five phases will last till 30 April, 2025.

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The DVC, in aggregate, will release 2.09 lakh acre-feet of water for Rabi and Boro cultivation. “This will help cultivation on 66,650 acres of farmlands in East and West Burdwan, Hooghly, Bankura, Howrah districts, which is much lower than the required volume,” said Mehboob Mondal, karmadhyaksha, agriculture of East Burdwan zilla parishad today.

In East Burdwan, 37,000 acres of farmlands in eight blocks can be cultivated due to this rationing of irrigation water, but farmers of Mongalkote, Bhatar and Raina won’t get water. Yesterday, the DM, East Burdwan, Ayesha Rani A held a meeting with district agriculture and irrigation and the zilla parishad officials on DVC’s irrigation water.