By Our Reporter
Shillong: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on Thursday demanded dissolution of the Brahmaputra Flood Control Board stating that it has miserably failed in addressing the recurring flood problems affecting the region.
“The Centre should instead constitute the Regional Water Authority (RWA) to oversee the flood problems in the region,” Dr Sangma said while speaking to reporters here on Thursday.
He added that he has already made this suggestion to Prime Minister’s Adviser TKA Nair during their interaction on Wednesday.
Stating that the Brahmaputra can no longer be called a river since it has already become like a drain, the Chief Minister said, “The main reason behind the floods is the huge volume of water which flows from the various catchment areas into the Brahmaputra on account of heavy rainfall during the monsoon.”
Observing that flood problem affecting the region is due to poor management of the water resources, Dr Sangma said, “It is important to adopt a new scientific professional management of the river basin.”
He suggested that the Water Resource department should involve stakeholders in management of the river basins.
He also said methodology adopted by other countries for management of their river basins should be adopted.
“Personally I am impressed by the methodology adopted by the Netherlands in managing their river basins. They have been able to manage their water resources very well after experiencing the worst ever floods about 100 years ago,” the Chief Minister said.
When asked about the flood situation in Garo Hills, Dr Sangma said the situation has drastically improved.