Patna, Sep 15: The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday approved a new policy for restoration of water resources and management of sediment, aimed at improving the capacity of rivers and other water bodies and strengthening the state’s flood management measures.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, which approved the Bihar Water Resources Restoration and Sediment Management Policy, 2026.
The policy comes amid growing demands from political parties in Bihar for the demolition of the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal, with allegations that the structure has contributed to heavy siltation upstream in the Ganga. There have also been demands for a review of the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty between India and Bangladesh, which is due for renewal in December.
Briefing reporters on the cabinet decision, Additional Chief Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat Department Arvind Kumar Choudhary said heavy silt deposits in rivers, barrages, reservoirs and other water resources had gradually reduced their water-carrying and retaining capacity.
“This is leading to a decrease in their irrigation capacity and leading to an increase in flood risk and frequency,” he said.
Choudhary said irregular rainfall and a decline in average rainfall, attributed to climate change, along with rising demand for water due to population growth, agriculture, urbanisation and industrialisation, had made water management increasingly important.
“Water safety and management” has assumed significant importance for maintaining human life and continuity of development, he said.
The policy seeks to remove accumulated silt from water bodies and restore their capacity. The government also plans to put the extracted sediment to productive use in soil filling and construction-related activities.
According to the Water Resources Department’s cabinet note, the silt can be used in the construction of national highways, railways, state roads, irrigation facilities, flood protection works, buildings and other infrastructure projects.
The move could also reduce dependence on locally sourced soil for construction and help prevent the use of fertile soil for filling purposes.
The policy is aligned with recommendations under the Centre’s State Water Reform Framework linked to the Viksit Bharat–2047 plan, under which states are expected to complete related technical, policy and administrative preparations by December 2026.
Water experts welcomed the policy but cautioned that its success would depend on scientific implementation and strict monitoring.
Kishore Jaiswal, director of the Society for Watershed and Rural Development and national convenor of Pragatisheel Krishi Manch, said desilting of rivers and water bodies should be undertaken systematically.
“If water bodies and rivers have to be desilted, it should be done methodically,” Jaiswal said, adding that there was a “geometry of desilting” that required sediment to be removed properly from all areas.
He also called for strict monitoring of the use and disposal of extracted silt, warning that improper dumping could “change the nature and quality of soil”.
Jaiswal said private agencies engaged in desilting would need close supervision as they could be inclined to remove sediment from riverbanks or the sides of barrages and reservoirs because it is easier, quicker and less expensive.
The new policy, therefore, seeks to combine river restoration, better water management and flood-risk reduction with the productive reuse of sediment, while its implementation is expected to remain a key challenge.
