Bengal Irrigation Department to Submit Anti-Erosion and Flood Protection Plans for Teesta River
Brahmaputra Board Seeks Detailed Project Report for Funding Approval; Collaboration with Sikkim and GTA Involvement Planned
The Bengal irrigation department has been asked to submit specific ideas for funding permission so that anti-erosion and flood protection work can be completed on either bank of the Teesta river by representatives of the Brahmaputra Board.
The board, which has its main office in Guwahati, strives to protect the rivers that traverse the Brahmaputra basin, including the Teesta. Under the Union Jal Shakthi Ministry, it operates.
State irrigation department representatives provided more details about the October 2017 Teesta flash flood during the board's 82nd meeting, which took place in Kalimpong.
We spoke of the massive amount of debris that the flash flood left behind on the Teesta, which caused the river bed to rise. The irrigation department's chief engineer for the northeast, Krishnendu Bhowmik, added, "Other issues like erosion caused by the river on its both banks were pointed out."
He added that they had been asked to submit a specific plan by the head of the Brahmaputra Board, Ranbir Singh.
"In order to get funding approved to complete these projects in the Teesta, we will talk with Sikkim and submit a joint DPR (detailed project report) to the board," Bhowmik continued.
The ₹11 crore detailed plan (DPR) for flood protection works on the Teesta river bank in Mekhliganj, close to the India-Bangladesh border, was also discussed by the officials during the discussion.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, had claimed that dredging on rivers like the Ganga and Teesta and anti-erosion activities were not funded by the national government.
During the meeting, board representatives announced that they planned to start a project to conserve water that flows via hilly streams in north Bengal, allowing it to be utilized for various reasons.
This prompted state irrigation department representatives to note that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) oversees these regions, and the agency is unable to handle the work independently.
"So that the project can be executed in the hills, it was then decided that the GTA will also be invited at the next meeting of the board," the source said.
