India has dismissed reports from Bangladesh media alleging that the current floods in the country are due to the release of water from the Dumbur Dam on the Gumti River in Tripura. On Thursday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement clarifying that these claims are inaccurate.

“We have seen concerns being expressed in Bangladesh that the current situation of floods in districts on the eastern borders of Bangladesh has been caused by the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura. This is factually not correct,” the MEA clarified.

The statement explained that the flooding in Bangladesh is mainly caused by water flow from large catchment areas downstream of the dam, not from the dam itself. The MEA stressed that floods on shared rivers between India and Bangladesh are a mutual challenge, highlighting the importance of cooperation between the two nations to address such issues.

India and Bangladesh share 54 cross-border rivers, making water management a crucial part of their bilateral relationship. The MEA reaffirmed India’s commitment to addressing concerns related to water resources through bilateral consultations and technical discussions.

The Dumbur Dam, located over 120 kilometers upstream from the Bangladesh border, is a low-height dam (about 30 meters) primarily used for power generation. Bangladesh also receives 40MW of power from Tripura through this dam.

The MEA clarified that along the 120-kilometer stretch of the Gumti River, there are three water level observation sites at Amarpur, Sonamura, and Sonamura 2. Since August 21, heavy rainfall in the region has led to automatic water releases from the dam. Real-time flood data from the Amarpur station has been shared with Bangladesh, indicating a rising water level trend up to 1500 hours on August 21.

Despite power outages caused by the floods, which affected communication at 1800 hours, India ensured the continued transmission of critical data to Bangladesh through alternative channels.