India's Brahmaputra Board plans project to conserve Teesta water flowing thru north Bengal

Representatives of the Brahmaputra Board, which works for conservation of rivers flowing through the Brahmaputra basin, including the Teesta, have said they intended to take up a project for conservation of water flowing through hilly streams in north Bengal so that it could be used for different purposes.

This was stated at the 82nd meeting of the board in Kalimpong yesterday, The Telegraph reported today.

The board asked officials of West Bengal irrigation department to submit specific proposals for approval of funds for anti-erosion and flood protection on either bank of the Teesta river, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

Responding to the board's plan, West Bengal state irrigation department pointed out that the areas through which the hilly streams flow are under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and that the department cannot take up the task on its own.

It was then decided that at the next meeting of Brahmaputra Board, the GTA will also be invited so that the project can be executed.

Officials of West Bengal irrigation department elaborated on the flash flood that had occurred on the Teesta in October last year following a cloudburst in Sikkim.

"We mentioned how the flash flood led to the huge deposition of debris on the Teesta, which led to a rise in the river bed. Also, other issues like erosion caused by the river on its both banks were pointed out," said Krishnendu Bhowmik, chief engineer (northeast) of the irrigation department.

He said Ranbir Singh, the chairman of the Brahmaputra Board, had sought a specific proposal from them.

"We will discuss with Sikkim and submit a joint DPR (detailed project report) to the board so that funds are sanctioned to carry out these works in the Teesta," according to Bhowmik.

At the meeting, the officials also mentioned the DPR of Rs 11 crore which was submitted to the board for carrying out flood protection works on the Teesta river bank in Mekhliganj near the India-Bangladesh border.