The governments of India and Nepal have agreed a raft of measures aimed at reducing recurring flood damage in Bihar after high-level talks in Kathmandu on the management of the Kosi and Gandak river systems.
The agreements were reached during the 11th two-day meeting of the Joint Committee on Kosi and Gandak Projects, held in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on April 30 and May 1. Officials discussed a range of long-pending technical and administrative disputes related to the two cross-border river projects.
The Indian delegation was led by Santosh Kumar Mall, principal secretary of Bihar’s water resources department, while Nepal’s side was headed by Mitra Baral, director general of the department of water resources and irrigation.
According to state water resources department, Nepal agreed to expedite the removal of encroachments from key infrastructure sites, including a 35km stretch of the Western Kosi main canal in Nepal, the Kosi barrage, afflux bunds on eastern and western embankments, embankment zones, the Gandak barrage area at Valmikinagar and sections of the main western canal.
Both sides also agreed to relocate electricity poles installed on the embankment of the western Kosi main canal.
Officials said leased land under the Kosi project would be demarcated using GPS technology and physical verification within a set timeframe.
The two countries further agreed to allow round-the-clock movement of vehicles and construction materials for anti-erosion and flood-control works in the Kosi Tappu area.
To protect the Kosi barrage, structural and non-structural measures will be introduced to limit vehicle speeds crossing the structure. Nepal also assured India that steps would be taken to prevent activities such as timber extraction, fishing and other local use during periods of heavy discharge, which officials said can disrupt barrage operations during floods.
Nepal additionally acknowledged that local taxes imposed by municipalities and village councils on vehicles linked to the Kosi project were inconsistent with bilateral agreements and pledged corrective action.
The two sides also agreed to conduct a joint site inspection of waterlogging-prone areas in the command zones of the Western Kosi Main Canal and the main canal emerging from the Gandak barrage at Valmikinagar.
Flooding from the Kosi and Gandak rivers has long caused severe damage in northern Bihar, with annual monsoon rains frequently breaching embankments, inundating villages and displacing thousands. Officials expressed hope that the latest agreements would improve river management and reduce disruption in coming seasons.
