Guwahati: The Centre has proposed the setting up of Brahmaputra River Valley Authority (BRVA) in place of the Brahmaputra Board to deal with water management, flood and related issues in the North-Eastern region, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Sunday.
Besides the problem of dealing with floods, the body would also act as an umbrella organisation where the Centre and all states of the region would pool resources and expertise to tackle issues related to land reclamation, irrigation and erosion.
Apart from Brahmaputra and its tributaries, the BRVA would also deal with the Barak and other rivers in the region and is likely to come in handy at a time when the proposed North-East Water Resources Authority is yet to take off due to opposition from some quarters.
He asked for cooperation at an international level with China, Bhutan and Bangladesh for a comprehensive solution to the problems of flood, erosion and water management in the North-East.
On the current wave of floods in Assam, Gogoi said 26,000 villages in 20 districts and 29.14 lakh people have been affected.
Gogoi said while flood is an annual problem for Assam, the state had lost over four lakh hectares over past few years due to erosion by Brahmaputra.
Regarding loss of crops, he said “I have asked the agriculture department to identify the flood prone areas where we will henceforth encourage planting of water-resistant varieties of paddy.
“Besides, we will from now undertake roads and other infrastructure projects in such a manner that the natural flow of water is not hindered,” he said adding the state government would also undertake a big afforestation drive in the flood prone areas.
Gogoi said flood relief and mitigation work would be undertaken as per plans prepared at district levels as all areas have different needs. Assam government wants to gain international expertise, specially from Japan which has a record in disaster management. (PTI)
