Assam Govt to seek expert opinion on river linking

Guwahati, Augsut 30, 2014: The State government believes that the proposed inter-linking of rivers of the country – a logical case of transfer of water from surplus area to deficit area – is desirable after in-depth studies on environmental impact, social considerations, comprehensive inter-basin water balance, geo-morphological, biological, ecological and river engineering aspects, besides socioeconomic aspects involved in the huge exercise.

Moreover, the two proposals concerning Assam – Manas-Sonkosh-Teesta-Ganga (MSTG) and Jogighopa-Teesta-Farakka (JTF) – are unlikely to benefit Assam much in respect of flood control, as only four districts out of 27, and two of the 41 tributaries are covered.

This was stated in the Assembly today by Water Resource Minister Rajiv Lochan Pegu while replying to a call attention motion by AGP legislators Phani Bhushan Choudhury and Keshab Mahanta.

Pegu, in his reply, said that it would be improper to dismiss the proposal without weighing the merits and demerits, and as such the government would seek expert opinion on the implications involved.

Moreover, he added, the proposal involves concerns about Manas National Park, a World Heritage Site, and hence special clearance will be needed.

The Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, has also constituted a special committee for inter-linking of rivers.

Earlier, raising the issue, Phani Bhushan Choudhury said that the government needed to proceed with utmost caution, as the ill-effects could outweigh the benefits.

Source: Assam Tribune