"Indian Official Drains 2.1 Million Liters from Reservoir Over Three Days to Find Samsung Phone"

Dropped a 1.6 Million Won Samsung Phone While Taking a Selfie
Opposition Criticizes as "Abuse of Authority"... Suspension Imposed

A local government official in India was suspended after draining 2.1 million liters of water over three days in an attempt to retrieve his mobile phone that he had dropped into a reservoir.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Getty Images Bank]

According to Indian media outlets such as NDTV and BBC on the 26th (local time), Rajesh Bishwas, a food department official from the Kanker district in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, accidentally dropped his mobile phone while taking a selfie at a local reservoir on the 21st. The phone sank to a depth of 4.6 meters underwater. The lost phone was a Samsung product worth approximately 100,000 rupees (about 1.6 million KRW).

Flustered, Bishwas first called local residents to dive into the reservoir to search for the phone, but the divers ultimately failed to find it. Bishwas then chose to drain the water using diesel pumps. Two 30-horsepower diesel pumps were deployed, starting operation on the afternoon of the 22nd and continuing day and night until the 25th. The amount of water drained over three days reached approximately 2.1 million liters. BBC explained, "This is enough water to irrigate about 600 hectares of farmland."

A man is talking on a mobile phone at a reservoir in Chennai, India. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article.
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

When the reservoir water level dropped by about 1.8 meters, Bishwas's phone finally appeared. However, the phone did not work due to being submerged underwater for too long. Bishwas's absurd reservoir draining operation was halted only after another official from the state government's Irrigation and Water Resources Department arrived at the scene, strongly protested, and ordered the cessation.

Bishwas's actions sparked controversy over 'abuse of official power,' and opposition parties criticized him harshly.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized, "Every summer, residents suffer from water shortages, relying on water supply facilities amid heatwaves, yet the official abused his authority by draining water that could have been used for irrigation."

In response, Bishwas defended himself, saying, "The phone contained sensitive information from the state government, so it had to be recovered," and "I carried out the water draining operation after receiving verbal permission from the authorities, and the drained water was unusable."

Local authorities have suspended Bishwas from duty and launched an investigation. Priyanka Shukla, a Kanker district official, said, "Bishwas has been suspended until the investigation is complete," adding, "Water is an essential resource and should not be wasted in this manner."