Dangerous Koshi

Ten months after the Koshi river washed away hundreds of villages and displaced thousands of people both in Nepal and neighboring India, warning bells are tolling again. With the eastern region of Nepal experiencing heavy downpour in recent times and the subsequent rise of water level in the Koshi barrage, the river damaged one of the barrage’s gates spreading fears of a looming disaster.



Officials claim that the embankment along the river can withstand the water flow pressure of up to 900,000 cusecs but the river breached the West Kushaha embankment last year when the flow was a measly 168,000 cusecs. Meanwhile, the water flow was recorded at 188,000 cusecs Friday noon. And the monsoon’s just beginning.



We are certainly not questioning the claim that the embankment can endure the force of 900,000 cusecs of water flow but for the barrage system to function at its optimum best, it’s anybody’s guess that the vital components need to be repaired and maintained round the year. Therein lies the problem. India cries hoarse when its villages are flooded and citizens displaced but pays too little attention to its responsibility of regularly clearing the dam of silt, repairing the spurs, barrage gates and embankment, among others. Year after year, it displays an attitude of the proverbial grasshopper, which pays absolutely no heed to collecting food when it is abundant during the summer while shedding tears when it has nothing to eat in the biting cold winter.



The Indian engineers, technicians and officials often cite the poor law and order situation in Nepal as a reason for their inability to carry out the regular repair and maintenance works. Nepal, on its part, must ensure that bandas and other disturbances, which has become quite a regular feature of the Tarai belt in recent times, does not in anyway hinder the work at the barrage.



There are many benefits of giving the Koshi barrage system the respect it deserves. The tamed Koshi river benefits both Nepal’s and India’s farmers by providing them with ample supply of water during the dry non-monsoon seasons besides being a rich resource for hydro-electricity generation. Last August, we also witnessed what happens when the river unleashes its fury. Hence, it’s imperative for the Nepali and the Indian governments to be sensible and work in unison to prevent a similar catastrophe from repeating in the future.

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