PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday stressed the need to secure the state’s rightful share of Ganga water, saying adequate supplies were essential for agricultural and industrial growth.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Ganga Water Treaty: Water Security of Bihar’, Choudhary said the state’s rivers and water resources should be treated as assets and used for economic development.
“Bihar needs adequate water for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes, particularly in matters concerning Ganga water-sharing and the Farakka agreement,” he added.
Choudhary said the nearly 25-year-old dispute with Jharkhand over sharing Sone river water had been resolved through the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with Bihar securing a 75 per cent share.
He said the state would promote the scientific use of silt from the Ganga and other rivers for infrastructure development. An agreement would be signed with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the purpose, he added.
The chief minister also called for stronger Ganga embankments and suggested an aerial survey to assess the river’s flow patterns and silt accumulation.
He said optimum use of water resources would help the government achieve its target of generating employment for one crore people.
Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Vijayendra Prasad Yadav, JD(U) national working president and MP Sanjay Jha, officials, engineers and water-resource experts attended the seminar.