ITANAGAR, Sep 25: Arunachal Pradesh MP Ninong Ering has demanded dredging of the Siang riverbed by the end of 2018, describing the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) report on the condition of the Siang river as “dissatisfying and distracting.”
“The condition of Siang river is in a sorrow state, and yet the CWC data paints a rosy picture to keep real suffering and plight of people in oblivion,” Ering stated in a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.
The MP said the Siang river witnessed sudden blackening with heavy turbidity last year, and now the water level has risen due to sedimentation and deposition.
Large portions of agricultural land have been damaged due to heavy erosion of the Siang river, and the river water has left many natives homeless and in total chaos, he said.
“In absence of embankments, villagers somehow built sandbags embankment to protect their lives. Even few stranded people were airlifted by Airforce at Jampani,” the MP said in his letter.
Ering requested that the union minister give assurance on the safety and security of the large number of villagers who are faced with constant threat from the Siang river.
