Kolkata: With floods wreaking havoc in Bihar, the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal could become a bone of contention between the chief ministers of the two neighbouring states.
Earlier this week, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and told him the barrage should be demolished as it is silting up the Ganga and causing floods in Bihar.
"Today it is time to re-evaluate the usefulness of Farakka Barrage. From the point of view of utility, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Therefore, it would be proper for the central government to serious consider the removal of the Farakka barrage," Mr Kumar said in a memorandum to Mr Modi.
Mamata Banerjee has avoided comment so far, instead blaming the centrally-run Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for floods in the southern Bengal districts of Howrah and Hooghly.
"They are man-made floods," she said. "I can understand flooding because of rain. But if the DVC and the central water commission release water from their dams without discussing with us, we will next go to court."
River management experts say the Bihar chief minister is not entirely wrong, the Farakka Barrage has caused siltation upstream but demolishing the 30 year old barrage is no answer."The idea is ridiculous," says Dr Kalyan Bhadra, currently chairman of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board but best known as a river water management expert. "About 200 kilometers of the non-tidal part of river would dry up. It would be a disaster for Bengal."
Water from the barrage is used for irrigation, water supply to towns on river banks downstream and it has kept the Kolkata Port alive. Its demolition would also affect Bangladesh, say experts.
Dr Bhadra concedes Mr Nitish Kumar's point that Farakka is worsening siltation upstream. But that is not the only cause of floods in Bihar. Rivers from Nepal also bring down a huge volume of water. Flood preparedness could alleviate the impact of the inundation, he feels.
Source:-ndtv
Viewmore:-Uttar Pradesh Mobile Number Database
Earlier this week, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and told him the barrage should be demolished as it is silting up the Ganga and causing floods in Bihar.
"Today it is time to re-evaluate the usefulness of Farakka Barrage. From the point of view of utility, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Therefore, it would be proper for the central government to serious consider the removal of the Farakka barrage," Mr Kumar said in a memorandum to Mr Modi.
Mamata Banerjee has avoided comment so far, instead blaming the centrally-run Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for floods in the southern Bengal districts of Howrah and Hooghly.
"They are man-made floods," she said. "I can understand flooding because of rain. But if the DVC and the central water commission release water from their dams without discussing with us, we will next go to court."
River management experts say the Bihar chief minister is not entirely wrong, the Farakka Barrage has caused siltation upstream but demolishing the 30 year old barrage is no answer."The idea is ridiculous," says Dr Kalyan Bhadra, currently chairman of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board but best known as a river water management expert. "About 200 kilometers of the non-tidal part of river would dry up. It would be a disaster for Bengal."
Water from the barrage is used for irrigation, water supply to towns on river banks downstream and it has kept the Kolkata Port alive. Its demolition would also affect Bangladesh, say experts.
Dr Bhadra concedes Mr Nitish Kumar's point that Farakka is worsening siltation upstream. But that is not the only cause of floods in Bihar. Rivers from Nepal also bring down a huge volume of water. Flood preparedness could alleviate the impact of the inundation, he feels.
Source:-ndtv
Viewmore:-Uttar Pradesh Mobile Number Database
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