Govt Official in India Drains Entire Dam to Retrieve His Phone:
A government official in central India faces suspension from his position for ordering the draining of a water reservoir in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh state.
Rajesh Vishwas, the official, was taking a selfie when he dropped his phone into the Kherkatta Dam.
Vishwas first asked for local divers’ assistance in his search for his smartphone in the reservoir because he believed it might contain vital government information. He then requested the use of diesel pumps to drain the reservoir after these attempts had failed.
Local media reported that over the span of three days, they pumped out more than 2 million liters of water from the reservoir, an amount that could have irrigated 1,500 acres (607 hectares) of land during India’s scorching summer.
Videos of the incident that showed Vishwas relaxing under a red umbrella while diesel pumps toiled assiduously to drain the water from the reservoir went viral on social media.
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Government Official Suspended for Draining Reservoir Without Permission, Citing Unfit Water for Agriculture
In interviews with local media, Vishwas claimed that the reservoir’s water was unfit for agriculture and that he received approval from a senior authority to start the draining operation.
He stated: “Officials of the irrigation department told me water was not being used by farmers and I could empty it by 3 feet [about 1 metre], so I got the water drained into a canal and made it usable.”
Eventually, they found the phone, but they later discovered that it had become waterlogged and was unable to turn on.
Authorities decided to suspend Vishwas after receiving harsh criticism for wasting water resources.
Due to excessive temperatures, India, one of the most water-stressed nations, endures significant water scarcity, which causes crop losses, forest fires, and power outages.
He emptied the water without formally seeking authorization, said top district official Priyanka Shukla to local media. It’s not acceptable.
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