GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Friday pressed the Centre to take urgent measures to build international cooperation with neighbouring countries to avoid circumstances that could be detrimental to the sustainability of the Brahmaputra River.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi stressed on the need of sharing information with the basin countries of the river in mutual interest during the 6th meeting of National Water Resources Council in New Delhi.
“The Brahmaputra is an international river with its basin in countries like China, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. In order to maintain the flow of water in this river to sustain the environment and water balance in the northeast, there is a need to arrive at an understanding with all the riparian countries,” said Gogoi. Gogoi, while endorsing the idea of hydel projects to meet the growing demand of electricity in the country, also stressed on the need of protecting the interests of all the riparian states in dealing with such schemes.
“Such schemes have deep and extensive downstream impact and it needs to be studied thoroughly and mitigated properly. While deciding on any project involving the use of multi-state river waters, all the riparian states are consulted while assessing the impact on the environment, rehabilitation measures, agriculture, aquatic life, flora and fauna and others,” he said. “At the same time, this should also be suitably reflected in the allocation of free and priced electricity to the states affected. Special financial assistance packages should be provided to the affected states for agreed measures to mitigate the impact of such hydroelectric schemes,” Gogoi added.
Citing the urgent need to deal with flood and erosion in the state, Gogoi further recommended the Centre to include erosion as a natural disaster qualifying for assistance under the National Disaster Relief Fund.
“Nearly 8,000 hectares of land are lost in erosion every year and since 1954, an estimated 4.2 lakh hectares of land has been lost. In addition to destruction of habitat and economic loss, erosion results in involuntary migrations, conflicts over land and social tensions. There is special requirement for river training, land reclamation, channel guidance and river bank stabilization schemes. Detailed and scientific studies into the nature of river flows and its impact on erosion should also be done,” he said. Gogoi suggested the ‘Draft National Water Policy, 2012’ to include the need of ensuring regional flood early warning systems and adoption of flood moderation measures. (Agencies)