GUWAHATI, May 22 – Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today laid stress on solving the problems of flood and erosion. Once these problems are solved, the health of the State’s economy will undergo a fundamental change, he said while inaugurating a seminar on low cost technology for mitigation of flood and river bank erosion in the river Brahmaputra at the Assam Secretariat auditorium here.

India today denied that China had diverted any water from the mighty river Brahmaputra while asserting that it was keeping a close watch on Chinese activities so as to protect national interest. "Various agencies of the government, including the NTRO and the National Remote Sensing Centre, are keeping a continuous watch and alertness over the tributaries on the Chinese side,’’ Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told agitated members in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.

NEW DELHI: Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Monday said there was “nothing to suggest” that China was building dams to divert the waters of the Brahmaputra river towards its northern regions.

Replying to supplementary questions in the Rajya Sabha, Bansal said India has been assured by the Chinese government that all dams being built on rivers that flow into India are only for generating electricity, and will not store water.

‘Master plan for other 56 basins, sub-basins of the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys has also been taken up by the Brahmaputra Board’

GUWAHATI: Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources and Minority Affairs Vincent H Pala said that the Brahmaputra Board, a statutory body under the Ministry of Water Resources, had prepared a master plan for the Brahmaputra and all its tributaries after carrying out necessary survey and investigation, for planned development of the river with due regard to the development of irrigation, power and navigation.

Oil companies engaged in drilling and exploration activities, power projects, coal and cement industries, besides developers of national highway in both public and private sectors have emerged as major environmental violators in the North-east. In a Question Hour discussion on Tuesday, Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan allayed all apprehension over violation of environment norms in construction of dams in the North-east.

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.

NEW DELHI, May 7 – Contrary to reports about massive erosion of Majuli island, the Centre on Monday claimed that the total land mass of the river island has increased marginally. Based on satellite imagery, the land mass of the island was calculated at 520.26 sq km. The total area of the land mass of Majuli main island, according to satellite imagery, was found to be 502.21 sq km in 2004. The total area based on the satellite imagery as of February 2011 has been found to be 520.26 sq km.

Environmentalists yesterday demanded the government's immediate and firm steps to stop India's National River Linking Project for the sake of Bangladesh's existence.

They were addressing a rally organised by Green Voice, an organisation of young environmentalists, marking its seventh anniversary and Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Bangladesh from May 5 to 6, before the capital's Jatiya Press Club.