The Bihar Chief Minister said he has been raising the issue for the last several years and even talked it out with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday opposed Central government's Allahabad-Haldia national inland waterway claiming that the proposed reservoirs at Buxar and other places enroute was likely to aggravate the annual flood problems of the state by interrupting the continuous flow of River Ganga.
Nitish also reiterated his demand to decommission the Farakka barrage, terming it a major reason for floods in the plains of Bihar. It may be mentioned that several district of Bihar are flood-prone and the deluging rivers cause heavy loss to life, property and agriculture every year.
"We have always been against interrupting the continuous flow of water as it causes siltation and decreases the depth of the riverbed. So many experts have opined about the futility of Farakka barrage, which causes heavy floods in Bihar every year," Nitish said while interacting with reporters on Monday.
The Bihar Chief Minister said he has been raising the issue for the last several years and even talked it out with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while apprising him about last year's heavy floods. "In 2016, for the first time in my 65-years, I saw the riverine areas around Bakhtiyarpur flooding so heavily. If Farakka is decommissioned, the silt deposit will decrease, and floods may be avoided," he said.
He also added that a clean Ganga was possible only is its natural flow was maintained.
The Bihar CM said a detailed study of de-siltation of River Ganga, floods in Bihar and water conservation is being taken up by the state government. "A two-day national workshop is being organised in Patna to deliberate on these issues on February 25 and 26. Environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal and Magsaysay award winner waterman Rajendra Singh, who have been working in this sector have been invited to participate in it," Nitish said, adding that an environment was needed to be created for better water conservation and environment protection.
Nitish, who recently visited Punjab's Seechwal village and saw the water conservation related works there, and said Bihar too was mulling to replicate some of it. "We are constructing drains in every locality as a part of seven resolves of our government. The sewerage treatment plant of Seechewal is best suited for us to treat the waste water as well as irrigate our fields," he said.
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