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dam-l A report on Ganga in Patna (fwd)
From: Himanshu Thakkar <cwaterp@del3.vsnl.net.in>
Reply-To: cwaterp@del3.vsnl.net.in
Organization: Centre For Water Policy
Ganga flows through Bihar to oblivion
Source: Rediff on the net, 14.05.99
Soroor Ahmed in Patna
When Sachchidanand Jha's maternal uncle died, he and his relatives had
to go across to Ganga's northern bank to take a post-cremation dip.
Why the northern bank, you ask. The reason is simple: there is hardly
any water left on the south side.
What today flows along Bihar's capital, Patna, in the non-monsoon months
is a narrow, shallow stream of dirty water fit for anything but drinking
and bathing. Even during Chhath and other religious festivals, people
prefer to go to other side of the Ganga. In fact, such is the mad rush
that a major boat disaster occurred a few years ago.
The drying up of Ganga is attributed to the disproportionate use of
waters by the upper riparian states, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and
Rajasthan, the storage of water from its tributaries by Nepal, and the
1996 Ganga Waters Agreement with Bangladesh.
Not only Patna, all the other towns along its southern bank are facing
severe drinking and irrigation water shortage. In the historic town of
Munger, for instance, the Ganga virtually ceases to exist during the
summer. Even in Patna, one can find several islands emerging in the
middle of the river.
State Water Resources Minister Jagdanand Singh, officials and experts on
river water are all unanimous that Bihar has over the years been cheated
in the distribution of water. If the trend continues for another four
decades, they calculate, Ganga would literally cease to exist in the
state, save during the monsoons.
The Ganga in Patna is, these experts point out, almost as bad as the
Yamuna is in Delhi. Not so contaminated, may be, but quite close. The
fall in the waterline started decades ago. The Ganga Waters Agreement of
December 1996 drove the proverbial last nail in the coffin. Under the
agreement, water from the Farakka barrage situated almost on the
Bihar-West Bengal border is to be released for Bangladesh and the Haldia
port during the lean season. The waters so released are not only of the
already dry Ganga but also of its North Bihar tributaries such as Kosi,
Budhi Gandak, Mahananda.
The four barrages over Ganga in UP, and the several others on its
tributaries (such as Yamuna) in Haryana and Rajasthan, have reduced the
flow of water in dry months. The barrages in UP are situated in Hardwar,
Narora, Tehri and Kanpur. The last was constructed only a few years ago,
despite protests from Bihar.
The Ganga, which bisects Bihar, has political, social and economic
importance. It is rather ironic that the state has to face such a
situation, despite being the most flood-prone state in the country.
About 76 per cent of the North Bihar population live in easily flooded
areas. And this, because there is no proper water storage facilities in
the other parts of the state. Almost all the rivers, be it of North or
South Bihar, submerge in the Ganga.
There are two types of rivers in the state. The first are the snow-fed
ones, which after originating from the Himalayas in Nepal, hasten
downward to the North Bihar plains to meet Ganga. These, especially Kosi
(which means curse), Kamla-Balan, Gandak and Budhi Gandak wreak havoc
during monsoon every year.
Secondly, there are dozens of rain-fed rivers which, after rising in the
hills of Chotanagpur in South Bihar or even south-eastern Madhya
Pradesh, criss-cross the Central Bihar plains to fall into Ganga. These
remain without water for most of the time. That is the reason why the
Central Bihar always remains drought-prone.
Almost 2 million of the total 4.7 million hectares of land in Central
Bihar have no irrigation facilities. Thus, the towns and villages
situated on the southern bank of Ganga have been more hit by the fall in
Ganga waters. Old timers say that the river is at its narrowest in the
last 50 years.
The snow-fed North Bihar rivers may not have become water-starved had
the Central government paid proper attention. During the lean season,
Nepal does not allow much water into Bihar, as it need to store for own
use. And whatever water comes down from Nepal, Bangladesh or Hadia port
claim it.
And in monsoon, in total contrast, there is always the fear that Nepal
would release extra waters and causing massive flood in North Bihar.
The problem, thus, is that the Union government, while negotiating with
the neighbouring country, never took into account the cause of Bihar.
The December 1996 agreement with Bangladesh was signed when H D Deve
Gowda was prime minister and I K Gujral the foreign minister. Bihar's
Water Resources Minister Jagdananad Singh, himself an engineer, had
lodged a strong protest over the agreement, but nobody bothered to
listen.
To further the cause of Bihar, it was planned that the MPs from the
state would call on the President. But except for a handful of
parliamentarians none took much interest. While in Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu, politicians cutting across party lines was taking a united stand
on the Cauvery issue, in Bihar the issue fell a victim to politics.
An ardent spokesman for Bihar's cause and a former MLA, Badri Singh
wants the state to move the Supreme Court about the issue. He demands an
immediate ban on the 'disproportionate' use of the Ganga waters by upper
riparian states.