‘Nod to interlinking of Kosi-Mechi river soon’

PATNA: State water resources department (WRD) minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said in the state assembly on Thursday that the Centre would soon sanction the Kosi-Mechi river interlinking project in the basins of the Kosi and Mahananda rivers in eastern Bihar.
The minister said the project had been pending with the Union forests, environment and climatic change ministry for clearance.Jha added that he called on Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on June 17 and sought early sanction to the project.
“The National Water Development Authority has sent the relevant statistical information regarding the project to the Centre’s environment and climatic change ministry,” he added.
The project, which entails an expenditure of Rs 4,900 crore, is aimed at linking rivers in the Kosi and Mahananda basins in the Kosi and Purnia divisions. When completed, it would provide irrigation facility in over 2.10 lakh hectares of land in Araria, Katihar, Purnia and Kishanganj districts, Jha added.
The minister was giving the government’s reply to the House debate on the Rs 3,652.30 crore budgetary demand of the WRD for which the cut motion had been moved by senior RJD member Lalit Kumar Yadav on behalf of Abdul Bari Siddiqui. The House passed the budget by voice vote, even as the RJD and CPI(ML) members walked out of the House during the minister’s reply.
Jha said the Kosi-Mechi river interlinking project had been declared as a national project, implying that the Centre would meet 90% of the cost and the state government 10%. A WRD project is declared national project if its purpose is to provide irrigation facility to 2 lakh and more hectares of land.
Jha said the department has decided to go for de-siltation of its various reservoirs in a phased manner to increase their water holding capacity, which, in turn, would help in recharging the ground and also prevent the falling of the water table. Besides, the department has decided in principle to give stress on conservation of rainwater, rainwater harvesting and effective water management, he added.
Even as there are fears regarding drought conditions in the state, Jha said the department had selected 208 anti-flood schemes for protection of its 3,390km of embankments in the state and 68km of other embankments in Nepal.