News Analysis India

Tag: Brahmaputra

  • Construction of 8.25-km-long Jorhat-Majuli bridge over Brahmaputra begins

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched the construction works of the 8.25-km-long bridge over Brahmaputra, connecting the world’s largest river island Majuli with Jorhat, to be built at a cost of over Rs 925 crore.

    The project will be executed by UP State Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd, Lucknow, and the targeted period for completion of the project is four years, an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

    Sarma launched the construction works at Majuli, where he also announced that the Assam government will build a new bridge connecting Majuli with Lakhimpur on the northern side of the island at an estimated cost of Rs 750 crore, which will be spent from its own resources.

    For the construction of the Majuli-Jorhat bridge, including immediate approaches over Brahmaputra on NH-715K at Dakshinpat, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sanctioned Rs 925.47 crore, the statement said.

    Speaking at the occasion, Sarma said, “Today is a historic day for the people of Majuli. The launch of construction of Majuli-Jorhat Bridge is a milestone event and this will give renewed momentum to the development journey of the district.

    “This bridge was a longstanding demand of the people of Majuli. Once construction of this bridge is completed, it will give a paradigm shift to connectivity between Jorhat and Majuli besides leading to rapid development in the island district.”

    He said that the state government has already constituted a cabinet committee to regularly monitor the progress of the project and aim to inaugurate the bridge by November 2025.

    “Around Rs 200 crore will be spent by the state government from for this bridge,” he added. The chief minister also inaugurated officers’ quarters and grade-III quarters under the Integrated Office cum Residential Building project at Majuli.

    Under this project, steps are taken for the construction of integrated DC office, site development and quarters with an outlay of Rs 50 crore.

    During his visit to the district, Sarma also interacted with the members of Majuli District Journalists’ Association and Majuli district All Assam Press Correspondents’ Union and took stock of the issues relating to the welfare of journalists.

    He assured them that the state government will take the necessary steps to address the issues raised by them.

  • Arunachal river turns black as massive landslides stop flow, thousands of fish die

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: A major environmental disaster is perhaps in the making in Arunachal Pradesh as a river system in the state has come to a virtual standstill following massive landslides and mudslides in the upper reaches.

    The landslides dumped millions of tonnes of mud and rocks into Kameng, substantially reducing the river’s flow. Its water in the East Kameng district has become like a muddy swamp instead of a raging river.

    Kameng originates in Tawang district from the glacial lake below snow-capped Gori Chen mountain and is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.

    East Kameng District Magistrate, Pravimal Abhishek Polumatla said during analysis and testing of the water at various locations, the district authorities found the total dissolved substance in the river to be very high and the dissolved oxygen to be very low. He said this could be the reason behind the deaths of a lot of fish and other aquatic animals.

    “Four days on and the situation remains the same. The levels of turbidity and oxygen are more or less the same due to heavy mudflow. Prima facie, our understanding is that this is due to landslides in the upper reaches of the river,” Polumatla said.

    He said as the actual cause could be ascertained through satellite imageries or aerial surveys, the state government was urged to help the administration get access to satellite imageries or deploy the officials of the State Remote Sensing Agency to do that part.

    Environmentalist and a coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People, Himanshu Thakkar told The New Indian Express that satellite images had shown the incident was caused by landslides originating in one of the tributaries of Kameng which is a glacial tributary.

    There are also glacial lakes there. This is the likely cause as of now behind this incident, he said.

    “There has been no major earthquake in that region. Even in October, there was some rainfall in Arunachal. Snowfall in the higher reaches along with rain could have triggered the landslides or glacial-like outbursts,” Thakkar said.

    The glacial area also has a lot of moraine debris. So, when there is a landslide or glacial-like outburst, a lot of debris flows down. This could be the cause of it, he said.

    “A lot of studies are required to reach a conclusion but broadly it looks like related to climate change. Such kind of rainfall in October, accompanied by snowfall, is not usual in Arunachal,” the environmentalist said.

    He said it was surprising that the mud was still there in the river. This should be finished by now, he said.

    The East Kameng district authorities clamped Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting people from going to the river for fishing or other purposes as the high turbidity could cause incidents of drowning.

    They restricted the sale and consumption of fish from the river for two weeks to avoid possible food poisoning. The administration deployed police personnel to patrol the river bank and urged community-based organisations to involve volunteers to sensitise people.

    According to locals, the last such incident occurred 20-30 years ago.

  • Arunachal river turns black as massive landslides stop flow, glacial outbursts suspected

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: A major environmental disaster is perhaps in the making in Arunachal Pradesh as a river system in the state has come to a virtual standstill following massive landslides and mudslides in the upper reaches.

    The landslides dumped millions of tonnes of mud and rocks into Kameng, substantially reducing the river’s flow. Its water in the East Kameng district has become like a muddy swamp instead of a raging river.

    The river originates in the East Kameng district and is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.

    East Kameng District Magistrate, Pravimal Abhishek Polumatla said during analysis and testing of the water at various locations, the district authorities found the total dissolved substance in the river to be very high and the dissolved oxygen to be very low. He said this could be the reason behind the deaths of a lot of fish and other aquatic animals.

    “Four days on and the situation remains the same. The levels of turbidity and oxygen are more or less the same due to heavy mudflow. Prima facie, our understanding is that this is due to landslides in the upper reaches of the river,” Polumatla said.

    He said as the actual cause could be ascertained through satellite imageries or aerial surveys, the state government was urged to help the administration get access to satellite imageries or deploy the officials of the State Remote Sensing Agency to do that part.

    Environmentalist and a coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People, Himanshu Thakkar told The New Indian Express that satellite images had shown the incident was caused by landslides originating in one of the tributaries of Kameng which is a glacial tributary.

    There are also glacial lakes there. This is the likely cause as of now behind this incident, he said.

    “There has been no major earthquake in that region. Even in October, there was some rainfall in Arunachal. Snowfall in the higher reaches along with rain could have triggered the landslides or glacial-like outbursts,” Thakkar said.

    The glacial area also has a lot of moraine debris. So, when there is a landslide or glacial-like outburst, a lot of debris flows down. This could be the cause of it, he said.

    “A lot of studies are required to reach a conclusion but broadly it looks like related to climate change. Such kind of rainfall in October, accompanied by snowfall, is not usual in Arunachal,” the environmentalist said.

    He said it was surprising that the mud was still there in the river. This should be finished by now, he said.

    The East Kameng district authorities clamped Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting people from going to the river for fishing or other purposes as the high turbidity could cause incidents of drowning.

    They restricted the sale and consumption of fish from the river for two weeks to avoid possible food poisoning. The administration deployed police personnel to patrol the river bank and urged community-based organisations to involve volunteers to sensitise people.

    According to locals, the last such incident occurred 20-30 years ago.

  • Assam ferry mishap: Six Inland Water Transport staffers arrested, three others detained

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: At least six employees of Assam’s Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department have been arrested for allegedly committing mistakes sans which the boat capsize in the Brahmaputra that has left two persons dead and one missing could have been avoided, and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, police said on Sunday.

    At least two persons died and one went missing after a private boat with 92 passengers on board capsized following a head-on collision with a government-owned ferry near Nimati Ghat in Jorhat district on September 8.

    Jorhat SP Ankur Jain said that three people working in the private boat were picked up for questioning, while several officials were summoned for recording their statements. “We have arrested six IWT staffers from Nimati Ghat after finding out that they had committed mistakes as they did not follow the procedures. The accident could have been avoided,” Jain said.

    The police have registered a case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) read with Section 34 (criminal act done by several persons for the common intention of all) of the Indian Penal Code, and all the accused have been charged with these provisions, he added. “Three persons working in the private boat at Kamalabari in Majuli district were also picked up for questioning. We are coordinating with Majuli Police and a team from Jorhat will reach there,” Jain said.

    Asked whether any IWT officer has been taken into custody, Jain replied in negative but said that many officials posted at Nimati Ghat were called for questioning for recording their statements. “Presently, we are trying to reconstruct the scenario and find out how the accident took place,” the SP said without sharing further details.

    The collision took place when private boat ‘Ma Kamala’ was heading towards Majuli from Nimati Ghat with passengers and vehicles, while government ferry ‘MB Tipkai’ was coming from the world’s largest river island.

    Visiting the accident spot the next day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that in the initial probe, “mismanagement” was found to be the prime reason for the accident.

    Meanwhile, various agencies such as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and district administrations are conducting an extensive search in the accident spot and even 100 km downstream for the missing person.

    He was identified as Bikramjit Barua, a doctor hailing from Jorhat who was posted in Majuli. The deceased were Parimita Das, a college teacher from Guwahati, and Indreswar Bora, a school teacher from Lakhimpur.

  • Day after boat tragedy, CM Himanta says work for Jorhat-Majuli bridge to begin in November

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Five years after Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari had laid the foundation, the Assam government will begin constructing a bridge over the Brahmaputra in November to connect Majuli island with Jorhat.

    Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday made the announcement while visiting Neamatighat in Jorhat where a collision between two ferries or mechanised boats on Wednesday had left a 28-year-old woman dead. She was serving as a college lecturer in Majuli.

    One of the boats that capsized and sank had 90 passengers. Eighty-seven of them managed to swim ashore or were rescued by the locals and two others are missing, Assam State Disaster Management Authority said.

    Sarma said it would take four years to build the bridge. He said a Group of Ministers would be formed to review the progress of construction. Gadkari had laid the foundation ahead of the 2016 Assam elections.

    The CM, who monitored the search operation for about 45 minutes from a machine boat, said a criminal case would be registered in connection with the incident.

    He said three officials of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department were placed under suspension and the government would institute a high-level inquiry into the accident.

    He announced that the plying of all private ferries would be stopped forthwith as they were not equipped with a marine engine.

    “If the owners wish to convert the single-engine to marine engine, the state government would provide a grant of Rs 10 lakh with 75% subsidy,” Sarma said.

    He said while four IWT ferries would provide service between Kamalabari in Majuli and Neamatighat, two more would be sent to Majuli. Two Ro-Pax ferries would also be operationalised, he said.

    Sarma also visited Majuli and assured the leaders of various organisations that all necessary steps would be taken to ensure passenger safety. He said the government would fix the number of passengers per boat and ensure strict vigilance.

    The Congress slammed the government over the incident stating that no provisions of safety kits like life jackets, swimming tubes were seen. The presence of rescuers was also not visible, the party said.

    “Does the IWT Department have properly marked navigation routes or not? Do they have licensed boat/ferry drivers? Who is monitoring the load of ferries?” the Congress asked.

  • Criminal case, high-level probe in Brahmaputra boat capsize: Assam CM

    By PTI

    JORHAT (Assam): Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday ordered the police to file a criminal case in connection with the boat capsize in the Brahmaputra in Jorhat district that claimed one life while two persons are still missing.

    After visiting the accident site with senior officials, Sarma told reporters that as per the initial probe, mismanagement was found to be the prime reason for the accident, which happened on Wednesday evening.

    “I have asked the Jorhat Police to file a criminal case for the accident. By today evening, we will announce a high-level probe to find out the reasons behind the accident,” he said.

    The chief minister also said that there are 10 private machine boats with single engines that operate between Nimati Ghat in Jorhat on the southern bank of Brahmaputra to Majuli, the world’s largest river island.

    “From today, all single-engine boats will be banned from plying. Those engines are not marine engines. However, if an owner wants to transform them into marine engines, we will support them,” he added.

    Sarma said a marine engine costs around Rs 10 lakh, which will be provided to the willing private owners by the government immediately after their application.

    “Out of the total amount, 75 per cent will be government subsidy and 25 per cent will be given as loans. They can start applying from today at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Majuli,” he said.

    Sarma also said a total of 90 persons were travelling on the ill-fated private boat. Out of them, one person died and two are still missing. Overnight search and rescue operations found 87 persons alive.

  • One dead, over 35 missing after two boats collide in Assam’s Brahmaputra river

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: One person died while some 35 others were reported missing after two ferries collided with each other in the flooded Brahmaputra in Assam.The accident occurred barely around 100 metres from Neamatighat in Upper Assam’s Jorhat district at around 3:30 pm on Wednesday.The tragedy had struck the passengers of ‘Maa Kamala’ which had set sail for Kamalabari in river island Majuli from Neamatighat. It capsized and then sank moments after colliding with ‘Tipkai’, a bigger ferry which was en route to Neamatighat from Kamalabari.Official sources said the body of one person was retrieved so far while 42 others survived after they managed to swim ashore or were rescued by the locals. The rescued passengers included seven children. Some of the rescued persons were admitted to hospitals.”There was perhaps a communication problem and the boats collided. After the collision, one capsized and sank. The second boat could have also capsized but the police and locals managed to secure it,” Jorhat Superintendent of Police Ankur Jain told this newspaper.He said some 75 people were on board the ferry that capsized and around 35 people were missing.“The boat that sank was retrieved around 350 metres away. The personnel of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) are conducting the search and rescue operations,” the SP added.Official sources said there were 27 two-wheelers on the ill-fated ferry. They said such ferries carry around 70-80 people along with vehicles, mostly two-wheelers. However, the locals claimed there were 100-120 passengers. These mechanised boats are the lifeline of people of Majuli.The ferries on the Brahmaputra operate under the Inland Water Transport Department. Since tickets are not issued to passengers and records are not maintained as such, there is no data on the number of passengers. The passengers are required to pay the fare on board.In a video aired by a local TV channel, some passengers were seen jumping off the sinking boat and struggling to climb another ferry, ostensibly Tipkai.Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Saddened by the boat accident in Assam. All possible efforts are being made to rescue the passengers. I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being.”Home Minister Amit Shah called up Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take stock of the situation.At Sarma’s direction, Minister Bimal Bora left for Jorhat from Guwahati. Sarma will visit Neamatighat on Thursday to assess the situation.

  • Brahmaputra swallowed 4.27 lakh hectares of Assam land: Minister

    The Water Resources department has been implementing erosion protection schemes from time to time as per necessity at the affected sites, he said.

  • Assam: FOUR drown as boat capsizes in the Brahmaputra

    By PTI
    JORHAT: At least four people, including two minors, have drowned after a country boat capsized in the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s Jorhat district, officials said on Wednesday.

    The incident took place on Tuesday when a few members of a picnic party went for a river cruise on a country boat, they said.

    SDRF’s Jorhat station officer Bidyut Gogoi said around 12 people were on the boat when it capsized.

    Locals rescued some people on another country boat, of whom two are undergoing treatment at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH).

    The bodies of four people were recovered near Baghmora picnic spot on Wednesday morning, Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni Aparanji Korati said.

    The deceased have been identified as Paban Rai (30), Rajiya Tigula (24), Sahil Chauhan (15) and Sufiyan Chauhan (9), she said.

    “I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and asked for submission of the report within 15 days,” Korati told PTI.

    “West Revenue Circle Officer Uday Shankar Dutta will find out the reasons behind this accident and ascertain whether there was any lapse on anybody’s part,” she added.

  • China’s attempt to set up dam on Brahmaputra will be encroachment on our rights: India

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday said any attempt by China to set up a hydropower station on the Brahmaputra river will act as an encroachment on the entitled rights of lower riparian states like India and Bangladesh and adversely affect the availability of water in its basin during the lean season.

    The issue was discussed during a review meeting of the Central Water Commission by Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State in the Jal Shakti Ministry.

    “Regarding the alleged plan of China to set up a super hydropower station at the Brahmaputra at Medong, Tibet, the officials apprised that any attempt to divert the water of Brahmaputra river shall act as an encroachment on the entitled rights of lower riparian states like India, Bangladesh and adversely affect the availability of water in the Brahmaputra basin during the lean season,” a statement by the ministry said.

    “However, there are official platforms – like the Expert Level Mechanism set up between India and China in the year 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers,” the statement added.

    In November, Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the Power Construction Corp of China, said China will “implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River” (the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra) and the project could serve to maintain water resources and domestic security.

    India too plans to build a multipurpose 10,000 MW reservoir in Arunachal Pradesh to offset the impact The proposed 9.2 BCM ‘Upper Siang’ project on the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh will be able to take the excess load of water discharge and can even store water in case of any deficit, an official said.

    Ninety percent of the Brahmaputra water comes through its tributaries in India during the monsoon season, thanks to the abundant rainfall in the northeast region.

    It is only in the winters that 80 percent of the Siang river gets its water from the upper stretches as glaciers become the main source.

    During the discussion over flood forecasting and management, an issue pertaining to flooding caused by the Brahmaputra river was discussed.

    “The CWC officials apprised about the need for setting up a project at Upper Siang/Brahmaputra which shall be highly beneficial for the state of Assam,” the statement added.

    The mighty Brahmaputra, one of the longest rivers in the world, passes through China, India, and Bangladesh and has several tributaries and sub-tributaries.

    Yarlung Zangbo originates in Tibet.

    The river is known as Siang when it enters India through Arunachal Pradesh.

    It is further joined by several tributaries to take shape of the Brahmaputra.

    As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, the Indian government has consistently conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities and has urged them to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.

    India and China established Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers.

    Under existing bilateral memorandums of understanding, China provides hydrological information of Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers to India during the flood seasons.

    Under the arrangement, China provides flood season data of the Brahmaputra river between May 15 and October 15 every year.

    The statement said the minister was informed that there will be better water management by the formation of river basin organizations.

    “He was worried about the increasing water conflicts in the country. CWC Officials informed that with the passage of ISRWD (Inter-State River Water Disputes) Amendment Bill, the water conflicts will be solved more quickly. CWC officials also informed that the passage of ISWRD Bill and Dam Safety Bill is very much necessary for holistic management of water resources in the country,” the statement added.

    Kataria also reviewed the progress under various programs like the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).

    He was informed that during the last one and a half year, 10 out of 99 priority projects under PMKSY have been completed.

    The officials told Kataria that 79 new flood forecasting stations have been made operational in the last one year.

    As a result, 11,721 forecasts were issued in the year 2020 from 328 forecasting stations set up across 19 river basins.