Bhutan rejects reports of blocking irrigation water supply to Assam

GUWAHATI: Bhutan on Friday rejected media reports claiming that it has stopped supply of irrigation water to farmers in Assam, terming them "totally baseless" and a "deliberate attempt to cause misunderstanding between the friendly people of Bhutan and Assam".
Clarifying its stand, the Bhutan government said the flow had been disrupted by natural blockages owing to which it is cleaning upstream blockages and repairing the channels. In a statement, Bhutan's ministry of foreign affairs said since June 24, 2020, there have been several news articles published in India alleging 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," the statement read.