NW-1 project will fail until Ganga siltation issue is addressed: Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the Central government's National Waterway 1 project will not be successful unless the issue of siltation is addressed in the state.

The 1,620 km long National Waterway 1 runs from Haldia to Allahabad and passes through West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

"Given the present condition of siltation in river Ganga, especially in Bihar region, the National Waterway 1 will not be successful until the issue of siltation is addressed and resolved," Kumar said in his speech at the two-day 'East India Climate Change Conclave 2018' here on Sunday.

Kumar pointed out that he has been raising this issue for quite some time now and said his government had organised two conclaves on Ganga in Patna and New Delhi.

He added that they also drew attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari on the same.

The Chief Minister further expressed his concern over the issue of global warming and said: "Everybody is aware of the contribution of the developed countries towards the rising issue of global warming. India's contribution is not that much, but still we are suffering and paying for it. India is way behind when it comes to exploiting the environment."

He added: "When I was in school, I used to hear that 1200-1500 mm rainfall will be there in a particular season. Now is a time when Bihar suffers from both floods and drought at the same time. Between 2006-2012, the average rainfall level has dropped to 912 mm."

Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan was also present on the event.