Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said the Centre’s ambitious National Waterway 1 project will not succeed unless the issue of siltation is addressed to ensure free and adequate flow of water.
National Waterway 1 (NW-1) is the Haldia-Varanasi stretch of the waterway on the River Ganga.
“Given the present condition of siltation in river Ganga [especially in Bihar region], the NW-1 will not be successful until the issue of siltation is addressed and resolved,” Mr. Kumar said.
Mr. Kumar, who has been flagging the issue for some time, said that the flow and cleanliness of the river have been affected as the water had turned black at one place in Begusarai district.
The State government had organised two conclaves on “incessant and clean” Ganga in Patna and New Delhi and also drew attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari in this regard, he said.
Mr. Kumar said this while addressing a two-day “East India Climate Change Conclave 2018” in Patna.
Union Miniter of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Dr. Harsh Vardhan was also present on the occasion.
Mr. Kumar cited the example of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)’s cargo vessel getting stuck in January 2018 due to shallow water near Ramrekha ghat in the upstream of river in Buxar district.
“Not only this, the tug vessel, which was sent to tow the cargo vessel, also got stuck 10 km away in the upstream,” Mr. Kumar said.
Stating that several dams have been built on river Ganga interrupting its “natural flow” besides Farakka dam at the bottom, he said because of these dams, silt is not getting out.
Mr. Kumar also asked Union Minister Harsh Vardhan to take up the issue with his Cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi said that the State government has set a target of either generating or buying 2,000 MW of solar power by 2022 in order to cut carbon emission.
Stating that five crore saplings would be planted in next five years in the State in order to mitigate the ill effects of climate change, Mr. Modi said that brick kilns, which use coal in large quantity, will not be given clearance after September 1, 2018 if they don’t comply with clean technology.
