Patna: The Bihar government is looking towards China to take inspiration and learn techniques for better flood and water management in the state, where 28 out of total 38 districts are flood-prone. It is also evaluating the option of inviting Chinese experts to research on the Kosi river.

The water resources department on Saturday suggested to chief minister Nitish Kumar that there was a need to further strengthen embankments along the rivers and plant trees on both sides for the purpose. Proper water drainage should also be ensured on the embankments, as practiced in China.

As far as rivers are concerned, water resources department officials said they should be regularly dredged and silt should be taken out to be used for commercial purposes. They also stressed the need for silt management programmes on the lines of those adopted in the neighbouring country.

A six-member water resources team led by its minister, Rajiv Ranjan Singh a.k.a. Lalan Singh, had visited China between April 15 and 22. The team gave a presentation before Nitish on the study and exposure visit at his 1 Aney Marg residence.

Principal secretary Arun Kumar Singh, engineer-in-chief Arun Kumar, joint director Anil Kumar, deputy director Parvez Akhtar and Bihar Rajya Aapda Punarwas and Punarnirman Society (related to disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction) deputy director Sunil Kumar Singh were part of the team that had visited China.

The team visited Yellow River Conservancy Commission in Zhengzhou in China to interact with experts and gain knowledge about measures, as well as, policies adopted by them for flood protection and silt management.

Incidentally, Yellow river is similar to Kosi river. Both are prone to frequent devastating floods, heavy siltation and change in the course of river produced by continuous elevation of riverbed. While the former is called "the sorrow of China", Kosi is called "the sorrow of Bihar".

The Bihar team also went to National Climate Centre of China, and National Meteorological Centre in Beijing to understand the studies, research and mathematical modelling going on there so that they could be used in the mathematical modelling centre established recently in Patna.

After seeing the presentation, Nitish said: "There is a need to deeply study all these things. How they could be used in Bihar's context should be considered. Siltation is a huge problem even in the Ganga river."