Balaram Chaulagain

The Koshi River drains through the highlands of Tibet and Nepal and debouches into the plains of north Bihar. The frequent shifting of the river's course in downstream plains of Nepal and India can devastate for those living near its paths.
The consequence of repeated course change and recurrent flooding has given the river the unlucky tag of 'a river of sorrow.' The high turbulence flows from the mountains and the sediments produced from upper areas and deposited downstream in the river plains of southern Nepal and Bihar is the main cause for concern.The authority has so far didn't conduct strategic dredging of downstream stretches.
The major problem lies in the exceptionally high sediment flux of the river. Reports suggest between 18 and mid 20 centuries this river shifted over 100 kilometres westward, resulting in a series of human displacement and series of miseries to even people who once had a sound natural fortune. No one yet knows how many thriving villages in the Koshi region of Nepali and Indian territories submerged in the river.
Those villages and areas stay only in the fond memories of people who survived the Koshi's wrath.
The unscientific tradition of embankment works to control flood in the river continued since time immemorial. As early as 1937, when the construction of a high dam was mulled to control floodwaters at Barahachhetra in Nepal.
After nearly two decades of lingering, the authorities attained the feasibility approval and managed the required budget. The devastating Koshi flood of 1953 compelled the authorities to build the dam. Showing great sensitivity, the then Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru visited Nepal and instantly announced a Koshi scheme for the safe settlement of the affected people.
Not much happened after that, the Bihar government too, didn't do enough to resolve the persisting problems with water management of the river in its territories or sensitize the central government to take up the issue with Nepal government. The flood issue is getting worse each year. And to resolve the issue, political dialogues within the suitable frameworks of both countries are imperative.
The affected region is seriously in need of constructive dialogue at the top of the decision-making level between the two governments for ending the expected crisis every year. Any further delay will make the condition worse. Under the Koshi Agreement, India has a 99-year lease on the Koshi Barrage and responsible for repair and maintenance of the barrage of which construction started in 1956 and completed in 1962 under the accord signed between India and Nepal on April 25, 1954. I
t is a well-known fact the water from the Koshi fully satisfies the needs of the Indian people residing across the length and breadth of Bihar. Nepal has no such concrete help from the scheme except for joining two districts with a road. Every year, the devastation caused by the Koshi River has cast a shadow on Nepal's ties with India. The Indian authority erected the barrage to divert the Koshi water towards India for irrigation through Nepal's territory, and the experts projected its life span to around 30 years or more. The constructors used a combination of cement, sand, stone and iron rod to build the barrage six decades ago. The lifespan of cement is still uncertain, but chemists believe it would work nearly for 50 years or more. The barrage has become obsolete in 1986.
The construction of the 1,150-meter long barrage having 56 gates completed in 1962. It is a sluice across the river that carries every vehicle and ordinary traffic along the east-west highway and connects Saptari and Sunsari districts of eastern Nepal. Joseph and Company
Limited India had designed it the famous wildlife reserve, Koshi
Tappu, lies four miles north of the barrage.
The Koshi River gets its other name as Saptakosi for its seven upper tributaries, the Tamor, Arun, Sun Koshi, Likhu, Bhotekoshi etc. The Saptakoshi crosses into northern Bihar where it branches tributaries before joining the Ganges.
Frequent change in the flow of river water in the embankment of Saptakoshi River in Sunsari district results in the displacement of many people with few missing. Not only Nepalis, but a great number of Indians are affected by the flood. Repeatedly, the breach in the embankment in the Koshi River has caused untold human misery in Nepal and in the neighbouring parts Indian state of Bihar.
The authorities could have averted disaster had they considered the gravity of the consequences in time. Every year's monsoon rain in Nepal and India is a welcome respite to farmers, but the swollen water level in the Koshi River poses a threat to the people living in close proximities.
The inappropriately repaired Koshi embankment is now being eroded and could very well burst any time, resulting flood in a more massive scale causing unexpected calamities. A delay in repairing the embankment causes a future potential threat. Unanticipated downpours in the eastern part of the country during monsoon season may cause the water level to surge massively, posing threats to human settlements in downstream of the river.
If India an d Nepal cannot intensify dialogues for a prompt repair of the Koshi embankment to prevent another disaster, the frequent and high-sounding rhetorics on the Koshi Barrage debate is meaningless. Under the Koshi agreement, Nepal has leased the barrage to India for building the barrage and controlling flood. Hence, being a beneficiary, India must show more seriousness. Both countries should not indulge in blaming each other. Both countries need to understand that a terrible natural disaster could result if we do not act in time.

(The writer is a retired government health officer )