Desilt drive to save Kosi
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Kosi Admin
Dec 4, 2009, 2:50:28 AM12/4/09
to Discuss Kosi
Desilt drive to save Kosi
NALIN VERMA
Patna, Nov. 30: The river Kosi, known as shok (sorrow) of Bihar, is
also infamous for its heavy silt deposits, one of the worst in the
world.
The river, which originates in Nepal, gets six inches of silt deposits
every year, often leading to breaching embankments and floods.
At present, an exercise is underway to put the silt accumulating in
the riverbed to better use. The water resources department has
imported “silt basin technology” from the Netherlands to free the
river from silt and ensure supply of silt-free water to irrigate the
vast stretch of farmlands in its catchment areas and also curb
recurring floods caused by the silt.
“The technology will ensure silt-free water in the fields increasing
productivity. The water, carrying heavy silt that Kosi releases, had
so far been harming the soil and crops,” said A.V. Nayak, the
principal secretary of water resources department.
The government has decided to buy two dredgers and a watermaster,
which has a multipurpose use, from Finland. The engineers associated
with the Kosi project will use the dredgers and the watermaster to
dredge out silt from the riverbed and deposit it in silt basin being
created on 4km of land along the river between Kosi barrage at
Bhimnagar and Kataiya.
An expert working on the project said: “The dredgers will pump out
silt from the water and with the help of watermaster the silt will be
deposited in the silt basin. Thus, the river water will be free from
silt while entering Bihar, as it will be desilted at the Bhimnagar
barrage on India-Nepal border itself.”
He added that excessive accumulation of silt that the water carried
while passing through various mountain ranges in Nepal had been
causing sharp rise in its level while entering Bihar planes.
The surging water level puts pressure on the embankments, leading the
river to breach them and change their course, inundating a huge number
of villages and towns in its journey from the Himalayas in Nepal to
the Ganga near Maheskhoot in north Bihar.
Nayak said: “The government had ordered the purchase of a dredger,
which will land at the site in December. Another dredger, too, will be
purchased by March next year.”
The dredged out silt accumulated in the basin along with the river,
according to the experts, can be used in checking the floods. As of
now, the engineers deposit sandbags along the embankments under
pressure from the surging waters. “But the silt, which will turn solid
in due course, will be deposited along the embankment instead of
sandbags,” an expert said, adding: “The measure will be cheaper, cost-
effective and also easy in checking floods in the Kosi belt.”
The heavy deposit of silt was one of the prime reasons for Kosi
breaching its embankment at Kusaha (Nepal) and causing unprecedented
floods in Saharsa, Supaul, Madehpura, Purnea, Araria and Katihar
districts last year.
Centre draws flak
Nitish Kumar today stepped up his diatribes against the Manmohan Singh
government by accusing the latter of “deliberately ignoring” the cause
of the state.
“That the UPA government at the Centre has turned apathetic to Bihar
is evident from the fact that it has been sitting on our long-pending
demand of special category status to the state and flood relief
package,” Nitish said. He also sent letters to Singh and Planning
Commission deputy chairman Montek
http://ww.telegraphindia.com/1091201/jsp/nation/story_11803960.jsp
NALIN VERMA
Patna, Nov. 30: The river Kosi, known as shok (sorrow) of Bihar, is
also infamous for its heavy silt deposits, one of the worst in the
world.
The river, which originates in Nepal, gets six inches of silt deposits
every year, often leading to breaching embankments and floods.
At present, an exercise is underway to put the silt accumulating in
the riverbed to better use. The water resources department has
imported “silt basin technology” from the Netherlands to free the
river from silt and ensure supply of silt-free water to irrigate the
vast stretch of farmlands in its catchment areas and also curb
recurring floods caused by the silt.
“The technology will ensure silt-free water in the fields increasing
productivity. The water, carrying heavy silt that Kosi releases, had
so far been harming the soil and crops,” said A.V. Nayak, the
principal secretary of water resources department.
The government has decided to buy two dredgers and a watermaster,
which has a multipurpose use, from Finland. The engineers associated
with the Kosi project will use the dredgers and the watermaster to
dredge out silt from the riverbed and deposit it in silt basin being
created on 4km of land along the river between Kosi barrage at
Bhimnagar and Kataiya.
An expert working on the project said: “The dredgers will pump out
silt from the water and with the help of watermaster the silt will be
deposited in the silt basin. Thus, the river water will be free from
silt while entering Bihar, as it will be desilted at the Bhimnagar
barrage on India-Nepal border itself.”
He added that excessive accumulation of silt that the water carried
while passing through various mountain ranges in Nepal had been
causing sharp rise in its level while entering Bihar planes.
The surging water level puts pressure on the embankments, leading the
river to breach them and change their course, inundating a huge number
of villages and towns in its journey from the Himalayas in Nepal to
the Ganga near Maheskhoot in north Bihar.
Nayak said: “The government had ordered the purchase of a dredger,
which will land at the site in December. Another dredger, too, will be
purchased by March next year.”
The dredged out silt accumulated in the basin along with the river,
according to the experts, can be used in checking the floods. As of
now, the engineers deposit sandbags along the embankments under
pressure from the surging waters. “But the silt, which will turn solid
in due course, will be deposited along the embankment instead of
sandbags,” an expert said, adding: “The measure will be cheaper, cost-
effective and also easy in checking floods in the Kosi belt.”
The heavy deposit of silt was one of the prime reasons for Kosi
breaching its embankment at Kusaha (Nepal) and causing unprecedented
floods in Saharsa, Supaul, Madehpura, Purnea, Araria and Katihar
districts last year.
Centre draws flak
Nitish Kumar today stepped up his diatribes against the Manmohan Singh
government by accusing the latter of “deliberately ignoring” the cause
of the state.
“That the UPA government at the Centre has turned apathetic to Bihar
is evident from the fact that it has been sitting on our long-pending
demand of special category status to the state and flood relief
package,” Nitish said. He also sent letters to Singh and Planning
Commission deputy chairman Montek
http://ww.telegraphindia.com/1091201/jsp/nation/story_11803960.jsp
Dunu Roy
Dec 4, 2009, 12:03:31 PM12/4/09
to discus...@googlegroups.com
and how long will the silt sit along the embankments? any calculations to underlie this hare-brained scheme?
dunu
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