Nitish Kumar blames Farakka dam for floods, writes to PM Modi calling for it's demolition
Nitish Kumar demanded the demolition of the Farakka dam saying it was the only way to protect Bihar from flooding in the future.
In Short
- Nitish Kumar has written to PM seeking demolition of the Farakka dam.
- 95 lives have been lost in the flood ravaged state.
- Nitish alleged that silt deposition in the Ganga made the floods severe.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has written to PM Narendra Modi seeking the Centre to consider demolishing the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal. Nitish wrote to the PM on Monday, a day before he met him in Delhi on Tuesday.
FLOOD SITUATION
Apprising the PM about the present flood situation in the state in which 95 lives have been lost, Nitish said that Bihar had suffered immensely because of the floods in the northern and southern parts of the state. Nitish said that at least 28 districts in the state were hit severely by the floods.
In the last week, the water level in Ganga and Sone have risen substantially and are flowing above the danger mark in 12 districts in the state along the Gnag basin.
FARAKKA DAM ALLEGATION
Nitish on Sunday, after holding an emergency meeting with the officials, asserted that floods were caused due to the construction of the Farakka dam in 1975. Nitish alleged that the silt deposition in the Ganga had reduced the depth of the river and therefore, the water was spread across a larger surface area, leading to flooding in a lot of areas.
Nitish demanded the demolition of the Farakka dam saying it was the only way to protect Bihar from flooding in the future. He had also appealed to the Centre to formulate a National Silt Management Policy, a demand which he has been raising with the Centre for last 10 years.
A LIABILITY
Nitish maintained in the present day scenario, Farraka dam was more of a liability than an asset to the state.
"We should review the utility of the Farakka dam. Post the construction of the Farakka dam in 1975, there has been lot of problems. Centre should consider demolishing the dam??, wrote Nitish.
The Bihar CM also demanded the Centre's assistance for flood hit Bihar to cope with the crisis. He also asked for a team of experts to be sent from the Centre to review the silt deposition in the Ganga and take a final decision on whether the demolition of the Farakka Barrage was necessary to save Bihar from annual flood.
ALSO READ:
Bihar flood crisis: Army and air force on alert, Nitish holds emergency meeting
Bihar floods: Situation worsens, Lalu Prasad seeks Modi's attention after Nitish Kumar meets PM