"We will source water primarily from the Damodar river, but will see to it that water for irrigation isn't affected in the process," DVC chairman Ashim Burman said. Burman, however, added that the DVC plans to bring down piped water from Balpahari, a few kilometres from Maithon. "We are also preparing a master plan for water resource management in the valley area," the DVC chairman said.

Apart from DVC, some private agencies Videocon, Abhijit Group, Shyam Sel have decided to set up captive power plants for their steel plants in the area. These plants will generate 8,000 MW. They will use a part of this power themselves and sell the surplus, a state power official said.

These developments are happening when the power department is struggling to cope with the problem of dumping fly ash in Kolaghat, years after getting strictures from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board. "It is becoming difficult to source water from the Rupnarayan, where sand heads are blocking the flow. We have to dredge the river continuously to meet the required quantity," said a Kolaghat Thermal Power Station official.

With the rivers of South Bengal under threat, it's time the state government chalked out long-term plans before large stretches of South Bengal run out of surface water and groundwater.