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TimeDec 26, 2021
India: Official Suspended After Draining Dam to Retrieve Phone
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Image copyright: Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
On Friday, a government food inspector in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh was suspended for ordering a reservoir to be drained to retrieve his smartphone, which he dropped into the dam on Sunday.
More than 2M liters of water was pumped out over three days from the Kherkatta Dam after Rajesh Vishwas dropped his $1.2K device into it while taking a selfie.
The Spin
Narrative A
Mobile phones aren't supposed to survive being submerged underwater for a long duration, which is why it's unacceptable that an essential resource was wasted to fulfill one lunatic's demand. It doesn't matter whether he had permission; the government official draining gallons of water must face disciplinary action for misusing his position and ignoring the impact of emptying a reservoir on irrigation.
Narrative B
It's unfair to blame the food inspector alone for the unfortunate incident or force him to compensate for the lost water. The water pumped out was wastewater unfit for irrigation, and his efforts were directed to recover his official phone, which contained confidential government information, contacts, and data required to be safeguarded from unauthorized access.
