“The diversion will now be completed by the end of Magh (mid-February),” said Hari Prasad Sharma, spokesperson at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Construction, during a weekly press conference on Monday.
Koshi, the largest river in Nepal, had changed its direction after breaching its embankment last August. Three main streams were formed when the embankment was breached. The combined width of the streams is now 11 kilometers.
Initially, the Indian side had planned to finish the work to meet a January 9 deadline, when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was scheduled to visit the site.
Officials estimate that out of the current total flow of 11,000 cusecs in the Koshi, 2,500 cusecs is flowing through the pilot channel, a temporary canal built by experts to make all the water flow through a single channel, according to officials.
Sharma further said that it would take six months to one year to construct the damaged road across the river, once the diversion work is complete.
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