Assam floods caused by silt and sand carried by river from other states, says CM Sarbananda Sonowal

Guwahati: Celebrating 71st Independence Day amid devastating flood across the state, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said the main cause of the havoc created by Brahmaputra river is silt and sand carried by rivers from other states. “The root cause of Brahmaputra’s flood is a large amount of silt and sand carried by the rivers from neighbouring states,” Sonowal said after hoisting the national flag at the official ceremony. [caption id=“attachment_1727255” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Assam flooods. AFP.[/caption] The river bed of Brahmaputra is rising gradually and reducing its water carrying capacity, he said. “The prime cause of increasing silt and sand carried by rain water is deforestation in the neighbouring states. We have apprised the prime minister of the matter during his recent Guwahati visit,” he said. Sonowal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him of his full support and cooperation towards finding a lasting solution to the problem by taking up the matter with the neighbouring states. The deluge has caused massive damage in different parts of the state and has claimed lives of many persons, besides affecting the wildlife, Sonowal said. The state government is extending all help in providing relief and rehabilitation to the sufferers and is committed to take up the restoration work in a time-bound manner, he said. The chief minister said the revenue collection has increased 21.6 percent to Rs 15,620 crore in the last fiscal from Rs 12,848 crore in 2015-16. “The plan expenditure has increased to 64.46 percent in 2016-17 against only 37 percent in 2015-16. Similarly, total fund released from the state exchequer in 2016-17 was Rs 53,562 crore against Rs 39,805 crore in 2015-16,” he said. Sonowal also said that his government has adopted a policy of zero-tolerance against any form of corruption in the state. The Assam government has taken a pledge to make the state free from corruption, illegal immigrants, terrorism and pollution, the chief minister said.