Bhutan’s delay in clearing debris on river banks triggers flood concerns

Dibyendu Sinha, MP, 29 June 2024, Jalpaiguri: As many as 16 days have passed since a joint inspection by the Bhutan Government and the Jalpaiguri district administration, yet the Bhutanese administration has not yet removed the sand and stones dumped on the banks of Reti Sukriti River (quarries) in the Chamurchi area. 

According to the Jalpaiguri District Irrigation Department, the accumulated sand and stones are causing the river water to directly hit the main dam of the Sukriti River. If the dumped sand and stones are not removed immediately, problems may arise during the heavy monsoon season. 

Therefore, the district irrigation department has decided to inform the Jalpaiguri district administration regarding this issue. 

The Reti Sukriti River has Chamurchi in India on one side and the Samsi area in Bhutan on the other. Sand and stones from quarries have been collected in parts of the river and river bank on the Bhutanese side. 

A few days ago, the Jalpaiguri District Irrigation Department received this information and contacted Bhutanese officials to discuss the matter. A joint inspection was conducted with officials from Bhutan’s Irrigation Department, who assured that the piled sand and stones would be removed in the next 10 days. 

However, the materials have not yet been completely removed. Krishnendu Bhowmik, chief engineer of the northeast division of the Irrigation Department, said: “Since the problem of quarry materials in the Bhutan side of the Reti Sukriti River is an international issue, the whole matter has been reported in detail to the district administration. 

After the joint inspection, some of the sand and stones were removed by the Bhutanese side but the sand is still piled up, as we noticed during our recent visit to the area. This could affect the Banarhat section of Jalpaiguri during the monsoons due to obstruction in the river channel. 

However, the situation is being monitored, and the matter will be reported again to the Jalpaiguri district administration to ensure it is resolved through further dialogues with the Bhutanese administration.” 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bhutans-delay-in-clearing-debris-on-river-banks-triggers-flood-concerns-569863