Nitish Kumar noted that for the first time, stacks of sheet steel were taking place on the Kamla Balan River
Patna:
A high-level meeting was chaired on Tuesday by Bihar’s chief minister, Nitish Kumar, to examine the state of preparedness for the rising waters of rivers originating in Nepal and crossing the northern districts of the state.
At the meeting where Minister of Water Resources Sanjay Kumar Jha and senior officials chaired by Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar were present, the Chief Minister ordered that flood control measures be completed no more than early and that the Nepalese authorities would be looped whenever necessary.
On Monday, Jha said he was concerned that the neighboring country would deny Bihar authorities access to the land falling across the border to complete the repair of the embankments, which was essential to avoid that the state is not ravaged by floods in rivers like Gandak, Kosi and Kamala.
The Chief Minister noted with pleasure that, for the first time in the state, stacks of sheet steel were taking place on different slopes of the Kamla Balan River.
Passionate about environmental conservation, Mr. Kumar also suggested that tree plantations be undertaken along the slopes to keep the soil intact when strong currents of water cross. He also said that comprehensive arrangements would be in place to provide relief to the affected population in the event of a flood.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need to ensure that the communications network remains functional in the face of a disaster. The northern districts of Bihar are known to be regularly affected by floods. Those of 2008 and 2017 claimed many victims.
In addition, last year more than 100 people died and nearly a million were displaced due to flash floods caused by torrential rain in the catchment areas of Nepal.
