The state irrigation department has initiated measures to combat large-scale waterlogging and flooding during the ongoing monsoon, given last year’s experience when large parts of south Bengal faced a deluge following the release of water by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and heavy rainfall.

The state government has started the repair of vulnerable embankments and is engaging with the DVC to prevent a repeat of last year’s fiasco, irrigation minister Manas Bhunia told The Telegraph.

“After identification of vulnerable and damaged spots of embankments and river banks, pre-monsoon maintenance work worth ₹145 crore was taken up in April,” Bhunia said.

“This is over and above the 309 projects worth ₹2,107 crore, which are currently going on in different districts as part of flood protection and anti-erosion measures,” the minister added.

The Bengal government also plans to coordinate closely with neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Bihar and Sikkim to avoid large-scale flood footprints.

Officials of the irrigation department have held joint monitoring meetings with their counterparts at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. They have jointly identified blockages in drainage channels that would hamper the free flow of monsoon water.

Bhunia pointed out that a coordination meeting with the DVC had been held at the end of April under the chairmanship of the Bengal chief secretary to ensure regulated release from DVC dams during the monsoon.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had last year blamed the sudden release of water from the DVC reservoirs for the floods in East Midnapore and Howrah. She had even threatened to sever the government’s association with the DVC.

The Farakka Barrage Project and the Central Water Commission also agreed to share the data related to the water level and discharge every day to manage floods in Malda and Murshidabad districts.

“The commission will provide rainfall data from its 84 stations in Bengal, Sikkim and Jharkhand,” the minister said.