12 Bihar districts underwater; Nitish Kumar says Farakka barrage creating problems with silt accumulation
Highlights
- 12 of Bihar's 39 districts are flooded
- Chief Minister Nitish Kumar blames a Bengal dam
- Experts sent by PM Modi to share report this week
As he awaits the verdict of experts on what drove the worst floods in Bihar in over a decade, Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, is anxiously tweeting what he claims as evidence that the deluge is man-made.
Last week, five experts were sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bihar to determine if the floods that have killed 75 people and forced five lakhs into shelters or temporary camps are the result of problems thrown up by a dam, the Farakka barrage in Bengal.
The Chief Minister had requested that the PM pick "neutral" observers.
Mr Kumar says that the Farakka barrage is creating humongous problems with the accumulation of silt, which has raised the river bed of the Ganga, causing it to overflow. 12 of Bihar's 39 districts are under water, including areas like the capital of Patna, which were unaffected in earlier floods.
"It is essential to develop a proper and appropriate national silt management policy without in any way disturbing the ecology and the ecosystem," the Chief Minister has said. Over the weekend, he tweeted that others back this claim.