Desilting Ganga will avert floods, Nitish tells Modi
Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his personal intervention in silt management of the Ganga basin to prevent floods.
A qualified civil engineer, Kumar prophesied frequent and devastating floods in the Gangetic plains as the water flow per cubic feet per second (cusec) has increased at different points in Bihar due to high silt deposits after the construction of Farakka barrage. The country urgently needs to have a national silt management policy, he said.
The 30-minute meeting at the PM's residence saw Kumar reiterate his demand for removal of the Farakka barrage for proper management of the silt that has been deposited in the river over the last 40 years.
“The barrage was designed to discharge 27 lakh cusec, but the discharge at Patna was 32 lakh cusec due to heavy silt deposit upstre am,“ he said.
“I have urged the PM to personally look into the matter or Bihar will have to face more devastating floods in future,“ Kumar told newsmen in New Delhi after the meeting.
The barrage was constructed in West Bengal, close to Bangladesh border, in 1975.
Kumar briefed the PM on the flood situation in Bihar and how the state thrice became a victim of floods this monsoon. First, the Kosi re gion was hit after heavy rainfall in Nepal. Then came the turn of southern districts adjoining Jharkhand.“We are now facing fresh trouble due to rain in Jharkhand, MP and UP as the Sone waters are adding to the waters of the Ganga,“ he said and urged the PM to provide necessary help to the state.
Kumar underlined it as an irony that Bihar, which has most of its parts marooned this monsoon, has received 14% less than average rainfall so far.
News Sources @ http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31812&articlexml=Desilting-Ganga-will-avert-floods-Nitish-tells-Modi-24082016015015