Government today dismissed reports that Brahmaputra river in Arunachal Pradesh has dried up and said that its average monthly flow has been better than the previous years.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H Pala said, “There is no evidence that Brahmaputra river had dried up in the state recently.

Guwahati: Accusing the NHPC of flouting norms in the formulation and implementation of the Subansiri Hydro Electric Project, RTI activist J N Khataniar said this could lead to “serious ecological and seismic problems in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and neighbouring areas.”

Releasing details secured by means of RTI from the NHPC, the Brahmaputra Board and the Ministry for Environment and Forest, Khataniar told reporters here on Tuesday that the state sector power giant gave “misleading advertisements” in newspapers and media regarding the project.

KOTTAYAM: Pressing for a new dam to replace the century-old Mullaperiyar reservoir, Kerala Water Resources Minister P J Joseph today said the state would place before the Supreme Court its objections to the Empowered Committee's report which concluded that the structure was safe.

Holding that the exisisting dam was weak, he told reporters here that the state would place its demands and objections to the report submitted by the apex court appointed committee when the matter comes up for hearing on July 23.

The raging debate over viability of mega dams in the seismologically sensitive North-east notwithstanding, the Centre has clarified that no conclusive study on non-suitability of construction of large dams in Brahmaputra region has come to the notice. Altogether 165 power projects were granted environmental clearance and 143 power projects were granted forest clearance by the Ministry of Environment and Forests during the past three years.

Setting at rest the controversy over the safety of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, the Empowered Committee, headed by the former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand, has said it is “structurally and hydrologically safe, and Tamil Nadu can raise the water level from 136 to 142 feet after carrying out certain repairs.”

In its report submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the committee is understood to have said: “The dam is seismically safe.” Last year's earth tremors in that region “did not have any impact on the Mullaperiyar dam and the Idukki reservoir and there was no danger to the safety of the two dams.”

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday requested the Centre to clear several pending projects in the irrigation sector in view of their significance for the tribal and backward regions and areas affected by left wing extremism (LWE). The Chief Minister met the Union Minister for Water Resources Pawar Kumar Bansal in New Delhi and took up the matter.

Increasing use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture is playing havoc with the farming community apart from resulting in increased levels of water contamination.

A recent epidemiological study has shown the presence of arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury apart from much higher levels of pesticides in the water across Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

The five-member Empowered Committee (EC), headed by former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand, on Monday finalised six chapters in the final report to be submitted to the Supreme Court on the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam.

Besides Justice Anand, other Members in the panel are: Justice K.T. Thomas, retired Supreme Court Judge representing Kerala; Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, retired Supreme Court Judge representing Tamil Nadu;

NEW DELHI, March 19 – The Centre has on Monday claimed comprehensive technical studies were carried out for safety of dams including dams in the North-East. In a Rajya Sabha reply to a question by Biren Baishya, Minister of State for Planning and Earth Sciences, Dr Shwani Kumar said the technical studies are carried out according to the guidelines issued by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for safety inspection of dams.

Former chief minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has expressed his serious concern over the unexpected drop in the water level of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh and urged the State Government to seriously look into the matter. The Assembly Speaker, Pranab Kumar Gogoi, while agreeing to Mahanta’s concern, also urged the State Government to conduct a detailed study in this regard.