Fact check: Did India open gates of Dumbur dam to flood Bangladesh?

A viral social media post claimed that the Dumbur Hydroelectric Power Project gates, or "Dambu Gate," in Tripura, India, were opened due to heavy rains, causing widespread flooding in Bangladesh. The post alleged potential flooding in Feni, Comilla, and Noakhali districts. According to the claim, the gates were last opened in 1993, and their current opening threatens significant downstream damage.

A Bangladesh-based news outlet, Dhaka Tribune, published a story with the headline "Millions marooned as flash flood hits 8 districts," adding fuel to the speculation. The article claimed that heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, and that India had opened the switch gates of the Dumbur Reservoir after three decades.

These claims are misleading upon closer examination. The image accompanying the viral post is a screenshot from a YouTube video uploaded on July 27, 2019, and has no connection to the current situation. 

India dismissed reports that recent floods in Bangladesh were caused by the opening of a dam on the Gumti River in Tripura, attributing the flooding to heavy rains in downstream catchment areas.

In response to social media claims in Bangladesh blaming India’s Dumbur Dam for the floods, the Ministry of External Affairs clarified. The statement rejected the idea that the flooding in eastern Bangladesh was caused by the dam, labelling the reports as “factually incorrect.”

The Indian government explained that heavy rainfall in recent days caused the Gumti River, which flows through India and Bangladesh, to flood. "The flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam," the statement clarified.

The statement highlighted ongoing heavy rainfall since August 21 in Tripura and neighbouring districts of Bangladesh, causing automatic water releases. The Amarpur water level observation station, part of a bilateral protocol, provided real-time flood data to Bangladesh until 3:00 PM on August 21, 2024. Communication was disrupted at 6:00 PM due to a power outage caused by flooding, despite efforts to transmit data through alternative means.

Tripura's Power Minister, Ratan Lal Nath, clarified the situation in response to concerns. He confirmed that no gates of the Dumbur Reservoir had been manually opened. Nath explained that the reservoir has an automatic system that releases water when it exceeds its 94-meter storage capacity. This system ensures natural water outflow through two gates when the level rises above the threshold. Once the water level drops below 94 meters, the gates automatically close, preventing further release.

Nath emphasized the water release is standard safety procedure, not deliberate. He reassured residents the administration is closely monitoring. The minister's statement refutes viral claims and highlights the flooding concerns in the social media post and Dhaka Tribune article is unfounded.

The claim that India opened the Dumbur dam gates to flood parts of Bangladesh is false. The water release from the Dumbur Reservoir is an automatic response to rising water levels, with no manual intervention involved. The misleading social media posts and news reports have created unnecessary panic, despite the situation being under control.

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