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DVC to release water for irrigation in S Bengal

The commissioner of Burdwan division today held a meeting at the Burdwan Circuit House to chalk out modalities of water release for Boro and Ravi cultivation.

DVC to release water for irrigation in S Bengal

(Representational Image: iStock)

The Damodar Valley Corporation has agreed to release water for irrigation in several lakhs of acres of farmlands in South Bengal. The commissioner of Burdwan division today held a meeting at the Burdwan Circuit House to chalk out modalities of water release for Boro and Ravi cultivation. In Maithon and Panchet dams in the upper catchment area of the Damodar, the DVC has got 488.45 thousand acre-feet of water reserved for irrigation.

DVC officials said: “The stored water will help irrigation of 1, 47,550 acres of farmland that may be utilised for Boro crop within the DVC command areas.” The distribution of irrigation water will be decided after the respective committees place their requisition considering the volume of cultivation of Ravi and Boro. It was decided at the 94 th meeting of the Development Committee for Barrage Irrigation System of the DVC, officials said.

According to a report sent to the state by the DVC, the water level at the Maithon reservoir this year has reached 491.82 feet. At Panchet, the reservoir level has reached 422.24 feet, which is healthier. Last year, the water levels at Maithon and Panchet were 467.03 feet and 407.22 feet respectively. In 2018-19, no water from DVC was available for Ravi and Boro irrigation but water for 50,000 acres of Ravi cultivation was made available in 2017-18.

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“This year, the DVC has agreed to release 70,000 acrefeet of irrigation water that will help Ravi cultivation in 50,000 acres of farmland,” said Mr Ghulam Ali Ansari, Divisional Commissioner for Burdwan after attending the meeting today. He added: “For Ravi cultivation, irrigation water discharge will commence on 31 December. For Boro, release of water will start on 30 January.”

By 19 December, the districts will furnish details about their irrigation requisition. The senior officials of the Burdwan (East), Burdwan (West), Hooghly and Bankura attended the Divisional Commissioner’s meeting today. The outcome of the meeting, however, remained inconclusive for Khanakul – 1 & 2 blocks in Hooghly.

Mr Manoj Chakravorty, Agriculture Karmadhyakshya of Hooghly Zilla Parishad, said: “As the works for Damodar river overhauling under a World Bank project is underway, the inflow to Mundeswari river – a branch river of Damodar has been blocked. The cultivation of these two blocks mainly depends on Mundeswari water. As the flow is blocked, the irrigation can’t continue.”

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