Parliament Question: Silt Deposition & Encroachment of Riverbeds

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1895 ANSWERED ON 30.07.2026 SILT DEPOSITION & ENCROACHMENT OF RIVERBEDS

1895. Shri SUDAMA PRASAD:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken note of reports regarding increasing encroachment of riverbeds and accumulation of sand and silt in rivers flowing through Bhojpur district, Bihar affecting irrigation and river flow and increasing the risk of flooding and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether any technical assessment or survey has been carried out to evaluate the impact of silt deposition and encroachments on the carrying capacity of rivers in Bhojpur district and if so, the findings thereof;

(c) the details of funds sanctioned and released by the Union Government during the last three years for river restoration, flood management, embankment strengthening and desiltation works in Bihar; and

(d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken to restore the natural flow of rivers, improve irrigation potential and mitigate flood risks in the affected areas? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)

(a) & (b) Protection of river beds, removal of encroachment therefrom, river restoration and flood & irrigation management are the responsibilities of the respective State Governments/Union Territories, which undertake such activities as per their priorities. The Government of Bihar has informed that the rivers Ganga and Sone flow through Bhojpur district and that, for most of their reaches within the 1district, the rivers are embanked. The Government of Bihar has further informed that presently, there is no severe encroachment on the riverbed of the Ganga that adversely affects irrigation or flood management and no study has been carried out to evaluate the impact of silt deposition and encroachments on the carrying capacity of rivers in Bhojpur district.

(c) & (d) The Government of India is implementing “Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana” (PMKSY) with an aim for creation and restoration of irrigation potential. The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) are components of PMKSY and the schemes of Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) and Repair, Renovation & Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies are included under PMKSY-HKKP.

During last three years, central assistance amounting to Rs 224.95 crore under PMKSY-AIBP and Rs 13.88 crore under PMKSY-HKKP has been released to the Government of Bihar.

Under Namami Gange Programme, an amount of Rs 1552.05 crore has been disbursed during the last three years for various projects/ interventions in the State of Bihar, such as wastewater infrastructure, development of ghats and crematoria, afforestation, bio-diversity conservation etc. .

Union Government is implementing Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) for providing central assistance to States for works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, anti-sea erosion, etc. Under the FMBAP Scheme, central assistance amounting to Rs 206.708 crore has been released to the Government of Bihar during last three years.

To promote the scientific management of river floodplains and prevent indiscriminate encroachments, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has continuously impressed upon the States / Union Territories the need to adopt flood plain zoning as an important non-structural measure for flood management. In this regard, the Ministry of Jal Shakti issued the Technical Guidelines on Flood Plain Zoning (FPZ) in August, 2025 and circulated the same to all States/UTs for adoption and implementation.

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