Bihar chalks out plan to tackle both flood and drought

  • June 26, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Bihar chalks out plan to tackle both flood and drought

Subject :Geography

Section: Rivers in news

Context:

  • Water Resources Minister Sanjay Jha said the government has chalked out a plan to deal with both exigencies, but the Centre has failed to consider its long-pending demand to build a dam in Nepal to prevent floods in the State.

Details:

  • Rivers like Gandak, Bagmati-Adhwara, Kamla, Kosi and Mahananda originate in Nepal, and heavy rainfall in the neighbouring country leads to floods in Bihar’s northern districts such as Madhubani, Araria, Kishanganj, Sitamarhi, Supaul and Madhepura.
  • A high-rise dam to control these water can solve the flooding problem of Bihar.
  • The water in the Dam can be diverted to the Drough-hit regions of Bihar.

Rivers originate in Nepal:

RiversDescription
1. Gandak
  • Also known as the Narayani river
  • NhubineHimal Glacier is the source of Gandak river.
  • It is a left-bank tributary of the Ganga River in India.
  •  In the Nepal Himalayas, it is notable for its deep canyon.
  • The basin also contains three mountains over 8,000 m (26,000 ft), namely Dhaulagiri, Manasluand Annapurna I.
  • Dhaulagiri is the highest point of the Gandaki basin.
2. Bagmati-Adhwara
  • The Bagmati River flows through the Kathmandu valley of Nepal, separating the cities of Kathmandu from Patan, before flowing through the Madesh Province of southern Nepal and joining the Kamla River in the Indian state of Bihar.
  • It is considered holy by both Hindus and Buddhists.
  • The Bagmati River is considered the source of Nepalese civilization and urbanization.
  • The Bagmati originates where three headwater streams converge at Bāghdwār Falls.
  • The Pashupati Nath temple of Nepal is situated on this river.
3. Kamla
  • Originates from the Churia Range near Maithanwhich is near SindhuliGadhiin the Sindhuli District of Nepal at an elevation of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft)and flows through the Indian state of Bihar.
  • The main tributaries of the Kamala River are the Tao, Baijnath Khola, Mainawati, Dhauri, Soni, Balan, Trisula, and Chadaha.
4. Kosi
  • It is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India.
  • From a major confluence of tributaries north of theChatra Gorge onwards, the Kosi River is also known as Saptakoshi for its seven upper tributaries.
  • These include the Tamur River originating from the Kanchenjunga area in the east and the Arun River and Sun Kosi from Tibet. The Sun Koshi’s tributaries from east to west are DudhKoshi, LikhuKhola, Tamakoshi River, BhoteKoshi, and Indravati.
  • TheSaptakoshicrosses into northern Bihar, India where it branches into distributaries before joining the Ganges near Kursela in Katihar district.
  • The river is known for its shifting course.
  • It causes widespread floods in Bihar and is known as the Sorrow of Bihar.
5. Mahananda
  • It is a trans-boundary river that flows through the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, and Bangladesh.
  • It is an important tributary of the Ganges.
  • The Mahananda river system consists of two streams– one is locally known as Fulahar river and the other Mahananda.
    • Fulaharoriginates from the mountainous region of the Himalayas in Nepal and traverses through the Indian state of Bihar and merges with Ganges in left opposite to Rajmahal.
    • The Mahananda originates in the Himalayas: Paglajhora Falls on Mahaldiram Hill nearChimli, east of Kurseong in Darjeeling district at an elevation of 2,100 metres (6,900 ft).
  • It flows through Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and descends to the plains near Siliguri. It touches the Jalpaiguri district.
  • It joins the Ganges at Godagiri in Nawabganj district in Bangladesh.
  • The main tributaries are: Balason, Mechi, Kankai and River Kalindri.
Bihar chalks out plan to tackle both flood and drought Geography