JD(U) National Executive President, Rajya Sabha MP, and Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources Sanjay Kumar Jha Accompanies Him
Patna, December 18th 2024, Vikas Kumar Ojha: Bihar’s Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Wednesday, submitting a memorandum requesting approval of ₹6,650.33 crore for flood control projects in the state. JD(U) National Executive President, Rajya Sabha MP, and Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources Sanjay Kumar Jha was also present during the meeting.
In the memorandum, Mr. Choudhary referred to the Finance Minister’s 2024-25 budget announcement:
“Bihar has historically been severely affected by flooding from rivers originating outside India, and no progress has been made in constructing flood control structures in the Nepalese region. Therefore, ₹11,500 crore in financial assistance would be provided to Bihar for flood management, barrage construction, and irrigation projects under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and other resources.”
Referring to the catastrophic floods of 2024, Mr. Choudhary highlighted the unprecedented rainfall in Nepal between September 27 and 30, which caused record-breaking water levels in rivers such as Gandak, Bagmati, Koshi, and Mahananda. This led to breaches and water overtopping embankments, raising concerns about the long-term safety of these flood management structures. He attributed the situation to two key factors: climate change-induced heavy rainfall and sedimentation, which has raised riverbeds and reduced their water retention capacity.
He stressed the need to prioritize the elevation, widening, and strengthening of existing embankments to protect the state’s population and infrastructure. Under the River Management in Border Areas (RMBA) program, projects worth ₹2,147.58 crore, and under the Flood Management Program (FMP), projects worth ₹4,502.75 crore, have already been submitted to the Ministry of Jal Shakti for approval.
Mr. Choudhary requested the Union Finance Minister to expedite the approval of ₹6,650.33 crore under the first phase of the ₹11,500 crore allocation announced in the budget. He urged timely implementation of these projects to mitigate the devastating impact of future floods.
