The Kosi breach
The Kosi River breached its manmade embankment on 18 August. Nearly four million people were displaced in what must be considered one of the larger humanitarian disasters of the last few years – worldwide, not just in the Subcontinent. And yet, we have the singular ability to forget eastern Bihar as the largest and poorest concentration of population anywhere. There is an urgent need to address the rehabilitation needs of this mass of humanity, even as the time comes to decide on what to 'do' with the Kosi. Do we live with the flood, or do we build engineering works? What are the challenges? The three articles in this Kosi-focused package mull over these issues. They are shortened versions of articles carried immediately after the Kosi breach of 18 August on our website, himalmag.com.
– Editors
A River in disequilibrium
On 18 August, there was a breach at Kusaha, on the eastern embankment above the Kosi Barrage in eastern Nepal. Water flowed out first to impact on the adjacent Sunsari District of Nepal. As the breach widened into a two-km stretch and the water gushed out, the inundation displaced people in seven districts of northern and central Bihar (Araria, Katihar, Khagaria, Madhepura, Purnia, Saharsa and Supaul), all the way south to the Ganga.
This ongoing crisis is a manmade technological tragedy first and foremost, and additionally an issue of crossborder inundation that has a bearing on India-Nepal relations in the days to come. Doubtless, the interventions for the future must be based on humanitarian considerations relaating to the lives of the millions who live in what is known as the Kosi's 'inland delta' in Nepal and Bihar. They must also rely on practical solutions based on a full understanding of the nature of the flow of Himalayan rivers, and the possibilities and limitations of purely engineered interventions.