Speaking at a programme held at Bihar Vidhan Parishad annexe, Nitish said he has requested Rajnath Singh to send some independent experts in silt management to study the problem of heavy siltation in river Ganga. He said though Bihar was still rain deficit by 16 % , many areas were flooded only because of heavy siltation in the riverbeds. Average annual rainfall in Bihar is 1,200 mm, but so far it has received less than 1,000 mm rain, he said.
Many areas including parts of Patna got flooded due to siltation in the Ganga. The problem has been aggrvated due to heavy siltation on the upper stream near Farakka barrage, Nitish said. He feared if the desiltation was not taken up on emergency basis, the Union government’s Namami Ganga project would fail. There should be uninterrupted flow of water in the Ganga in addition to the concern for purity of the water.
The CM released a magazine on environment, Yugantar Prakriti, published by Jharkhand Food and civil supplies minister Saryu Rai. The latest issue is devoted to pollution in Ganga in Bihar. Chairman of Vidhan Parishad Awadesh Narain Singh presided over the function. Leader of opposition in the state assembly Prem Kumar and senior legisators were present on the occasion.