Bihar legislature to discuss water crisis on July 13

Patna, July 4 (IANS) On the directive of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bihar legislature is holding a special debate on the state's water crisis on July 13.

The debate will be jointly attended by the ruling party and Opposition members of the Legistative Assembly and the Legislative Council in the central hall of the Assembly.

The attending MLAs and the MLCs will present before the government the ground reality of water shortage in their respective constituencies.

Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said the debate on the water crisis will be important one. "Legislators would deliberate upon and suggests ways to deal with issues on the ground," he said.

Last year, 280 blocks in the state's 38 districts were declared drought-hit after deficient rainfall. With rains so far less than expected, the situation is more alarming in 280 blocks of 25 districts. Last week, the Chief Minister said he feared another spell of drought in Bihar.

In the past few years, several government reports have pointed out that the water crisis in Bihar was the result of overexploitation of underground water, which is showing signs of stress now. Nitish Kumar has repeatedly expressed concern over this.

The Central Ground Water Board's report for 2016-17 shows that the water levels in Bihar in May 2016, with respect to the pre-monsoon decadal mean of May (May 2006 to May 2015) witnessed a fall of 67 per cent in 594 Hydrograph Network Stations.

Scientists have made it clear that indiscriminate exploitation of underground water from deeper aquifers could create a grim situation in the future.