Namami Gange may fail without silt management: CM

Patna: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday said the NDA government’s much-hyped Namami Gange programme would not succeed unless the Centre ensures uninterrupted flow of water downstream by finding out a permanent solution for removal of silt from its riverbed.
“Namami Gange programme is meant to clean and protect the river. The Ganga water will remain clean only if its natural and uninterrupted flow is maintained.The Centre would have to find out a solution for removal of silt being deposited due to Farakka barrage, otherwise Namami Gange programme will not succeed,” Nitish said after releasing a magazine here.
A brainchild of PM Narendra Modi, the Namami Gange programme was approved by the Centre in May, 2015, with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore for five years. Around 300 projects, out of total 1,000 lined up under the programme along the banks of the Ganga, were launched on July 7 this year.
Highlighting the fallout of Farakka barrage, Nitish said the Ganga has turned out as a ‘shallow’ river in major parts of Bihar due to huge deposition of silt after the construction of the barrage. “If the current rate of silt deposition continues, the Ganga may lose its continuous flow and the purpose of Namami Gange programme may be defeated,” he said.
Nitish also accused the Centre of not paying due attention to his repeated demand for silt management in the lower parts of the 2,500km-long river. “I have been raising the issue for the last 10 years at different forums, especially at the meetings of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). I have been demanding reassessment of advantages and disadvantages of Farakka barrage. But who has time (at the Centre) to heed my concerns?” Nitish said.
The CM also recalled as to how at one of the NGRBA meetings, he invited the then national water resources minister Pawan Bansal to Bihar to see the silt deposition in the Ganga riverbed. “After making an aerial survey from Buxar to Farakka, Bansal admitted Bihar’s concerns, but asked for an alternative suggestion to removing Farakka barrage, saying demolition of the barrage was not possible,” Nitish said.
The CM said he, too, admits that removal of barrage might not be possible due to political or diplomatic issues, but the Centre must find out a solution.