Red alert issued to mark danger as water level of Saptakoshi River rises

Published On: July 13, 2023 08:06 PM NPT By: Amar Khadka

ITAHARI, July 13: After persistent rainfall since Thursday morning, the rise in water level of the Saptakoshi River has posed a high risk to the nearby settlements and those living downstream in Sunsari district.

In response to the rising water level, authorities on Thursday turned on the red light signifying danger. According to the measurement at 2 PM on Thursday, the water current in Saptakoshi was recorded at 167,465 cusecs per second.

According to the Koshi Barrage Control Room, 22 of the 56 flood gates of the barrage have been opened. District Administration Office Sunsari said that the Indian side will be requested to open other flood gates if the flow of water increases continuously.

At present, a red light has been issued on the west side of the Koshi Barrage. Although the flow of water in Koshi continues to increase, there is no imminent danger yet.

As soon as the flow of water in Koshi Barrage exceeds 150,000 cusecs, a red light is issued towards the west to alert the general public. Up to 150,000 cusecs of water level in Saptakoshi is considered normal in Koshi Barrage.

At the Koshi barrage, another red light issued for alert towards the east after the water level reaches 200,000 cusecs. Red light is turned on in the central part of the barrage when the water level increases to 300,000 cusecs.

The Koshi Barrage has a water carrying capacity of 950,000 cusecs. However, due to the accumulation of sand in the upper part of the barrage in recent years, it is not possible to make any estimations.

Reviewing the data of the last 20 years, the water in Saptakoshi has not risen above 400,000 cusecs. The Koshi Barrage control room records show that water has not increased above 400,000 cusecs since 2000.

Saptakoshi reached the highest level in history in 1968 at 788,200 cusecs. In 1987, it reached 523,771 cusecs.

On August 18, 2008, the Saptakoshi River damaged the eastern embankment due to the flow of 168,000 cusecs of water. At that time, when Koshi destroyed the eastern embankment, it entered four human settlements of Koshi Rural Municipality. At that time, 7,563 families were displaced when the Saptakoshi River destroyed the eastern embankment.

Following the damage, the Saptakoshi River also changed its course. But after three months of continuous efforts, the course of the river was returned as usual. The devastation caused by Saptakoshi River floods was not limited to Nepal. In neighboring India’s Bihar state, the Koshi floods annually takes massive toll.