Agartala, August 22, 2024 – The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has issued a statement clarifying that India is not responsible for the floods in Bangladesh. The claim that opening the Dumboor dam on the Gomati River in Tripura caused the flood situation in Bangladesh is factually incorrect.
The Gomati River basin, which flows through both India and Bangladesh, has received the highest rainfall this year over the past few days. The Dumboor dam, located more than 120 kilometers upstream from the Bangladesh border, is a low-height dam (about 30 meters) that generates electricity and feeds it into a grid. Bangladesh also receives 40 megawatts of electricity from Tripura through this grid.
The statement further mentioned that heavy rainfall has continued in Tripura and the adjacent districts of Bangladesh since August 21. Data provided by Bangladesh until 3 pm on August 21 showed an increasing trend. Communication problems arose due to the power outage caused by the flood.
The statement also emphasized that floods in the common rivers between India and Bangladesh are a joint problem, causing suffering to people on both sides. Mutual cooperation is needed to address this issue.
