Patna: Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has asked the central government for a national river silt management policy to save Bihar from "flood menace".

He was speaking at a conference on "sediment management" during the celebration of World Water Day in Patna on Thursday. The discussion was called by the state water resources department and Action on Climate Today, an initiative managed by Oxford Policy Management.

Last year, chief minister Nitish Kumar had also advocated formulation of a Silt Management Policy at the national level as the problem of silt disrupts flow of water in rivers and increases intensity of floods.

"Floods are the biggest reason for backwardness and rampant poverty in Bihar. The state government had spent Rs 5,000 crore from its own kitty on flood-affected people in 2017, putting a huge burden on the financial resources of the state, which could be used for other development purposes," said Modi highlighting the impact of floods on the state's economy.

"We can see the twin dimensions of water. On one hand there is scarcity of water and on the other the effects of water (devastating floods)," he added. While highlighting the urgency of the issue he said: "At present the state government cannot deal with the issue on its own as it is an inter-state issue. However we can make silt and sedimentation control policy with a budgetary allocation every year at the state level".

Water resource minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said: "The problem of silt has grown at an alarming level that led to river water pollution. It elevated the intensity of floods also. Our department is working pro-actively on the issue but the central government should take the call acknowledging its cross-regional impacts".