In a bid to draw the Centre's attention to the perennial problem of floods, caused every year by the increase in the level of water in the Ganga due to the accumulation of silt, Bihar Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha on Tuesday wrote to Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, requesting for appropriate action to prevent the damage caused by the operation of cargo ships in the Ganga near Ismailpur Bindtoli embankment of Bhagalpur.
He will soon be taking up the matter with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti as well, as per a release, as per a release from the minister.
"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has always spoken for the need to ensure seamless flow of the Ganga. Water Resources Department (WRD), in fact, organised two national and international conferences on 'Aviralta of Ganga' (Incessant Flow of Ganga). However, no concrete steps have been taken by the Central government for effective silt management even after five years of the comprehensive silt management policy envisaged by the Chief Minister," the release noted.
Jha said that since the construction of the Farakka barrage, the problem of siltation in the Ganga has continuously been raised by Bihar with the Centre. The length of the Ganga in Bihar is 445 km where excessive siltation is being deposited, which leads to floods causing gigantic material and human losses.
"Officials said that earlier also requests have been made to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) but in vain. Even after dredging the river to create an adequate route for cargo ships, many of them are causing severe erosion in the riverbank areas due to off-route operations. It was one of the reasons that the District Administration of Bhagalpur had to stop the operation of the ship in the Ganga last year," added the release.
Jha has again reminded the Centre that during the lean period, the problems of erosion due to the operation of cargo ships by IWAI near Ismailpur Bindtoli embankment of Bhagalpur will further deepen. "The problem of siltation near Ismailpur Bindtoli embankment is the result of the turbulence generated by ships. The operation of ships has enhanced the depth of the river, which sometimes is reduced," he added.
The movement of cargo ships causes waves - ranging from one metre to 1.5 metres in height - in the river, posing serious threats to erosion prevention work, flood protection mechanism, embankments and spurs, said the minister.
For their safety, there is a need to ensure that the ships in the river be operated from the old edge and within the prescribed speed limit, as has been requested by Jha in the letter to the Centre, which will be critical in preventing the damage being caused by the cargo ships near Ismailpur Bindtoli embankment.
( With inputs from ANI )
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