Chhattisgarh Water Crisis: 21 Lakh Litres Drained as Officer's Phone Plunges into Reservoir During Selfie Mishap

The Chhattisgarh government has suspended a government employee after it was claimed that he forced 21 lakh gallons of water to be emptied from a reservoir over the course of nearly three days in order to retrieve his costly cell phone that had fallen into it.

Rajesh Vishwas, a food officer in the Kanker district's Koilibeda block, was apparently enjoying a vacation at the Kherkatta Dam when his phone reportedly slipped into the dam. He spent almost Rs 1 lakh on his gadget.

When Vishwas realized he had misplaced his phone, he contacted the irrigation department to see if they could help. The water, which might have been used to irrigate more than 1,500 acres of crops, was eventually drained out and wasted using a 30-horsepower pump.

As per the media reports, after three days and the release of 41,104 cubic metres of water, the phone was found.

He said that until his cell phone was found on Thursday, Vishwas had reportedly sought the help of locals and obtained diesel pumps to drain the water from the weir.

An official from the irrigation and water resource department reached the spot after a complaint while the process went on for three days, and got it stopped.

The now-suspended officer Vishwas defended himself by claiming that he dropped his phone while taking a selfie and that it was crucial for him to get it back because it contained vital government information.

He further said that a representative from the water resources department informed him the water isn’t utilized for anything, which is why he had some of it drained.