Patna, Feb 8 (PTI) Highlighting the perennial problem of floods faced by the people of Bihar due to silt accumulation on the Ganga riverbed, state Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha on Tuesday wrote to Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal seeking appropriate action to solve the problem, which, he said, further gets aggravated by movement of cargo ships. In his letter to the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Jha said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had over the years stressed the need to ensure that water in the Ganga flows seamlessly, and the government has also organised conferences to draw attention to the issue, but no step has been taken by the Centre for silt management. He pointed out that the Farakka barrage has also added to the problem as it diverts the flow of water, and that in turn leads to heavy silt accumulation. Even after five years of envisaging a comprehensive silt management policy in the state, the Centre has initiated no measure to deal with the problem, he wrote.

"The Ganga spans 445 km in Bihar and the excess accumulation of silt causes floods in several areas of the state almost every year," said Jha in his letter.

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The accumulation of silt near Ismailpur Bindtoli embankment is caused by the turbulence generated by ships, he noted.

Jha said he will soon be taking up the matter with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.

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According to officials, similar requests have been forwarded to the Centre in the past.

The district administration of Bhagalpur had to stop the operation of ships in the Ganga last year, they said, adding the movement of cargo vessels creates waves in the river, posing serious threats to erosion prevention work and flood protection mechanism.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)