Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna rejected reports about Bhutan blocking water channel flowing into Assam. (Photo/Twitter@KrSanjayKrishna)

Bhutan Blocking Water Supply to India: At a time when India is caught up addressing border issues with China and Nepal, a news regarding trouble with another neighbouring nation Bhutan has caught everyone’s immediate attention. Reports claimed that Bhutan has blocked irrigation water along its border in Assam. There were reports claiming that the blockade has affected thousands of farmers in the northeastern state. However, India has rubbished all such reports and clarified that Bhutan has been actually helping in removing the ‘natural blockage’ in the irrigation channel flowing between the two countries.

Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, in tweet, rejected media reports suggesting trouble between New Delhi and Thimpu.

“Recent media reports about Bhutan blocking water supply to India has been incorrectly reported. The actual reason being the natural blockage of informal irrigation channels into Indian fields! Bhutan has been actually helping to clear the blockage,” Krishna tweeted along with images of people clearing boulders in the water channel.

Recent media reports about Bhutan blocking water supply to India has been incorrectly reported. The actual reason being the natural blockage of informal irrigation channels into Indian fields! Bhutan has been actually helping to clear the blockage. pic.twitter.com/H61c5T1EeJ

— Kumar Sanjay Krishna (@KrSanjayKrishna) June 25, 2020

Bhutan, on its part, has also described the reports as ‘baseless’. A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan said that since June 24 several news reports are being published in India claiming that “Bhutan has blocked water channels that supply irrigation water to Indian farmers in Baksa and Udalguri districts in Assam adjoining Samdrup Jongkhar district”.

“This is a distressing allegation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to clarify that the news articles are totally baseless as there is no reason why the flow of water should be stopped at this time,” news agency PTI quoted the ministry’s statement, as saying.

Indian forces have been replying strongly to challenges posed by China in Ladakh and Pakistan, which has been constantly violating ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. The relationship with Nepal, which is considered to be a friendly neighbour, seems to have been strained ever since the KP Sharma Oli’s government got a bill passed in the Nepal Parliament revising the country’s political map. The recently redrawn map of Nepal shows Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas of Uttarakhand as its own territory.