Govt plans to invite WB to work on Koshi

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 - The government is planning to propose to the World Bank (WB). It plans to invite the latter as an independent panel of experts to assess losses incurred due to Koshi river flooding, to redesign the Koshi project and also for bilateral negotiation, among other tasks.The government ...

The WB has shown interest in joining hands too, according to him. "It will be finalized by a bilateral agreement," Koirala told the Post.

He said the government is also planning to work out a complete package with a new design for the Koshi project.

thought of necessary amendments in the project's old design," he said, adding, "It became essential as the riverbed has risen to a level higher than its countryside.

Shital Babu Regmee, Joint Secretary at MoWR, proposed to develop a mechanism for proper joint operation, maintenance and management of the Koshi project in his paper presented at the program.

"Revisit Koshi project, update and improve it," Regmee said, adding, "Work in good mutual trust and meaningful participation.

According to him the Nepalese side was assured of proper protection but no maintenance work was done on the Koshi this year. "River training structures were never maintained to meet the original standard," said Regmee's paper.

Also, hydro expert Dr Anand Bahadur Thapa and Superintendent Engineer of the Department of Irrigation Naveen Mangal Joshi presented separate papers on the issue.

‘Prepare for worse’

Top officials and experts also alerted everyone concerned to be mentally prepared for the looming danger of further flooding in the days to come.

According to experts, past records say that the Koshi has turned more violent in the month of October. "The coming one month is riskier for us. The month of October may have the worst scenario in store for us," Koirala said, adding, "Therefore, we should be mentally prepared.

Experts urged authorities to activate early warning system in view of the looming danger in the month of October.

Joshi, in his paper, said that highest peak flow observed was 25,880 cumec (cubic meter per second) on October 5, 1968. A flow of 168,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water was recorded in the river on the day the Koshi breached its embankment. One cumec is equivalent to 35.3147 cusecs.