Date:10/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/10/10/stories/2004101001680500.htm

Back India, Nepal to take steps towards flood control management

Our Bureau

New Delhi , Oct. 9

THE India-Nepal Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) has decided to appoint a joint technical group to prepare a strategy for flood control and management, apart from taking steps to expedite the ongoing hydroelectric generation projects for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

There are about 243 rivers, large and small, which flow between India and Nepal which can be exploited for generating power.

The joint technical group has to come up with a comprehensive plan, within the next three months, for a long-term strategy in which both the countries can participate jointly. The group will also present an interim report on the immediate measures to be taken to mitigate the problems of flooding by the Kamala and the Bagmati, the two rivers which had caused major damage in Bihar as also Nepal during the year. The short-term strategy for immediate implementation would primarily cover the most vulnerable areas along the rivers in both the countries.

The second meeting of the Secretary-level committee led by the Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Mr V.K. Duggal, and his Nepalese counterpart, Mr Mahendra Nath Aryal, was held after a gap of four years.