14/04/2015

Nitish opposes Centre’s move to build more barrages on Ganga


Patna,(BiharTimes): Like most environmentalists Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday stoutly opposed the Narendra Modi government’s plan to build at least 16 barrages in river Ganga on 1,620-km stretch of National Waterways No.1 between Allahabad and Haldia port in West Bengal, ostensibly to raise its water level.


Speaking on the problems of Ganga he said constructing more barrages or dams between Allahabad and Haldia would reduce the river into big ponds. It would adversely affect its ecosystem. The water should be allowed to flow uninterrupted; otherwise it would have disastrous consequences.He said that not a single drop of water from Gangotri glacier reaches Bihar because of the construction of a number of barrages in the upper riparian states––Uttarakhand and UP in this case.


He blamed the construction of Farakka Barrage in West Bengal for the perennial problem of flood in Bihar. The riverbed has risen because of the manifold increase in the silt deposit after the construction of Farakka Barrage. Besides, rampant felling of trees in upper catchment areas has increased the silt deposit.


He called for the removal of silt and restoration of forest. Till sometimes back, the Ganga waters used to fall in the Bay of Bengal with its silt, but after the coming up of Farakka barrage, it is deposited in the upper stream of the barrage.The Bihar chief minister sought review of utility of Farakka Barrage. According to Nitish when the Ganga enters Bihar, it brings just 400 cusec water, but it leaves the state with 1600 cusec.

This increase is because of the flow of water from the tributaries into Ganga in Bihar.Nitish said that he put up his view on free flow of water at a meeting of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) held in New Delhi on March 26. Prime minister, Narendra Modi, who chaired it, agreed that it needed study, he disclosed. Nitish regretted that most of the schemes taken up at that meeting were about the cleanliness of the Ganga and not for maintaining uninterrupted water flow in the river.

He also cited the example of Patna from where the river has shifted several kilometres north.As reported the Centre has planned the idea to build a barrage after every 100 km in the Ganga from Haldia to Allahabad to make the river navigable, especially for transporting cargo.


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