DOCSLIB.ORG

World Bank Document

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
World Bank Document Public Disclosure Authorized Overview The Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment A Discussion of Regional Opportunities and Risks Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Overview Report No. 67668-SAS The Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment A Discussion of Regional Opportunities and Risks i Overview The Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment A Discussion of Regional Opportunities and Risks World Bank South Asia Regional Report World Bank Washington, DC iii THE GANGES StrategIC BASIN ASSESSMENT: A Discussion of Regional Opportunities and Risks Disclaimer: © 2014 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington, DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org All rights reserved 1 2 3 4 14 13 12 11 This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgement on part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and Permissions The material in this publication is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission to reproduce portions of the work promptly. For permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this work, please send a request with complete information to the Copyright Clearance Center Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; telephone: 978-750-8400; fax: 978-750-4470; Internet: www.copyright.com. All other queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the Office of the Publisher, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2422; email: [email protected]. Cover photo: NASA; http://www.visibleearth.nasa.gov/ Cover design: Roots Advertising, Gurgaon, India iv Acknowledgments The Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment is a product contributions from the Nepal Himalayas. Michael of an extensive collaborative effort among many Westphal analyzed historical climate and climate professionals within and outside the World Bank. It change scenarios for the basin. The Center for is an output of the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI), Environmental and Geographic Information Services which is a partnership of the World Bank and the (CEGIS) in Dhaka, the International Centre for governments of Australia, Norway, and the United Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kingdom that seeks to facilitate regional cooperation Kathmandu, and the International Water Resources in the sustainable use and management of the water Management Institute (IWMI) in India and Nepal resources of the Himalayan Rivers. provided the team a wealth of pertinent information. Mary Paden provided editorial support. The work was led by Claudia Sadoff and Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep of the World Bank. The core team Important contributions were made by Stephanie included Donald Blackmore, Marc Jeuland, Sylvia Borsboom, Biva Chapagain, Genevieve Connors, Lee, Anna O’Donnell, Dale Whittington, Wu Xun, Charles Cormier, Ajaya Dixit, Daryl Fields, Dipak Jorge Escurra, Hrishikesh Patel and Lauriane Cayet. Gyawali, Ejaz Ghani, Drona Ghimire, Natalie The report could not have been produced without Giannelli, Sanjay Gupta, Michael Haney, Christine the administrative support of Sulochana Nepali, Kimes, Khawaja Minnatullah, Siet Meijer, Pratibha Rachel Susan Palmer, Pamela Patrick, and Tara Mistry, Ainun Nishat, Hubert Nove-Josserand, Shrestha. Sanjay Pahuja, R.S. Pathak, Anil Pokhrel, Giovanna Prennushi, Martin Rama, Shyam Ranjitkar, Catherine Specific inputs to this study were provided by a Revels, Bharat Sharma, Mandira Shrestha, Animesh broad range of experts and institutions. In particular, Shrivastava, Ranu Sinha, Ashok Subramanian, the Institute for Water Management (IWM) in Dhaka Catherine Tovey, Rajib Upadhya, George Verghese, developed the calibrated Ganges Basin model Winston Yu and William Young. Individuals too and worked closely with the World Bank team in numerous to name provided extremely useful analyzing the implications of major future scenarios. insights at consultation meetings held with a variety IWM’s work was led by Bushra Nishat and Asif of government and donor partner agencies, and Zaman with guidance from Mahbub-ur-Rahman research, policy, and academic institutions in and Emaduddin Ahmed. INRM Ltd. (Integrated Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Natural Resource Management Consultants) in Delhi developed the calibrated SWAT model for The team benefitted from the advice of a broad the Ganges Basin under the leadership of Ashwin range of colleagues. It wishes to express its Gosain (Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi), R. appreciation for the guidance and support of Srinivasan (Texas A&M University) and Sandhya colleagues within the World Bank including Rao. RMSI Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, supported work on flood Kalpana Kochhar, Roberto Zagha, Susan and drought analysis. E. Somanathan, of the Indian Goldmark, Ellen Goldstein, Jack Stein, Salman Statistical Institute, undertook an investigation of the Zaheer, Rachid Benmessaoud, Gajanand economics of “hard” versus “soft” flood mitigation Pathmanathan, Herbert Acquay, Karin Kemper, and strategies. Don Alford, Richard Armstrong, Julia Bucknall. A special thanks to Ngozi Okonjo- and Adina Racoviteanu estimated glacier melt Iweala and Isabel Guerrero for their guidance in 1 THE GANGES StrategIC BASIN ASSESSMENT: A Discussion of Regional Opportunities and Risks key consultations. The team is also grateful to have Howard, Russell Rollason and Clare Shakya, also received input from two advisory groups outside provided insightful and substantive support to the the Bank: an international Expert Advisory Group, team. comprising David Grey, Glenn Jenkins, Mark New, and Peter Rogers; and the Abu Dhabi Dialogue The team gratefully acknowledges support Group of regional experts. The SAWI development from the SAWI and the World Bank South Asia partners (the Governments of Australia, Norway Regional Integration Unit, and sincerely thanks all and the United Kingdom), in particular Bente Binge, of the individuals and institutions met during the Simon Buckley, John Dore, Semund Haukland, Guy development of this work. 2 Overview Background All countries in the basin benefit from the Ganges and suffer from its extremes; all could benefit The Ganges River Basin—the world’s most populous more and suffer less from the devastating floods river basin—stretches from the highest mountains and periodic droughts which routinely undermine in the world to the tidal delta of Bangladesh. The development in the region. This study explores Ganges River rises in the Himalayan border regions development opportunities in the basin – for of China, Nepal, and India, and runs 2,500 example in hydropower, irrigation and disaster risk kilometers across the Indian subcontinent to the management – against a backdrop of extreme mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, finally emptying climate uncertainty, rapid population economic into the Bay of Bengal. The basin encompasses growth and urbanization. a multitude of glaciers, thousands of tributaries, vast plains and an extensive, fragile delta. The The Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment amazing variety of ecosystems in the Ganges River Basin provides homes for the subcontinent’s wealth The objective of the Ganges Strategic Basin of flora and fauna, many of them under stress or Assessment (Ganges SBA) is to build knowledge and endangered. promote an open, informed dialogue on the shared opportunities and risks of cooperative management The Ganges watershed is a complex interplay of in the basin. Advances in remote sensing, intense monsoon rains and runoff, glacier and hydrological modeling and forecasting capabilities, snow melt, and groundwater resources. The unique and open access data platforms now make an geography of the region creates this interplay: unprecedented wealth of information available to summer clouds drift up from the Indian Ocean all. These advances offer the basin countries an and the Bay of Bengal, laden with moisture; are opportunity to ‘leap frog’ the technologies and trapped by the high Himalaya; then rain down on methods they use to gather, manage, analyze, and the Gangetic plain. Most precipitation in the Ganges share information. The Ganges SBA identifies River Basin is concentrated into only a few months ways in which information can be generated and each year. Because of dramatic seasonal monsoons used to strengthen planning and decision making and high climate variability, much of the region is in the Ganges Basin, and seek evidence-based routinely affected by flood and drought. opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. The daily lives of 655 million inhabitants depend on The Ganges SBA highlights the complexity of the the water that the Ganges and its tributaries provide Ganges basin and demonstrates an urgent need for drinking, agriculture, hydropower generation,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • World Bank Document
    Water Policy 15 (2013) 147–164 Public Disclosure Authorized Ten fundamental questions for water resources development in the Ganges: myths and realities Claudia Sadoffa,*, Nagaraja Rao Harshadeepa, Donald Blackmoreb, Xun Wuc, Anna O’Donnella, Marc Jeulandd, Sylvia Leee and Dale Whittingtonf aThe World Bank, Washington, USA *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] bIndependent consultant, Canberra, Australia cNational University of Singapore, Singapore dDuke University, Durham, USA Public Disclosure Authorized eSkoll Global Threats Fund, San Francisco, USA fUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Manchester Business School, Manchester, UK Abstract This paper summarizes the results of the Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment (SBA), a 3-year, multi-disciplinary effort undertaken by a World Bank team in cooperation with several leading regional research institutions in South Asia. It begins to fill a crucial knowledge gap, providing an initial integrated systems perspective on the major water resources planning issues facing the Ganges basin today, including some of the most important infrastructure options that have been proposed for future development. The SBA developed a set of hydrological and economic models for the Ganges system, using modern data sources and modelling techniques to assess the impact of existing and potential new hydraulic structures on flooding, hydropower, low flows, water quality and irrigation supplies at the basin scale. It also involved repeated exchanges with policy makers and opinion makers in the basin, during which perceptions of the basin Public Disclosure Authorized could be discussed and examined. The study’s findings highlight the scale and complexity of the Ganges basin. In par- ticular, they refute the broadly held view that upstream water storage, such as reservoirs in Nepal, can fully control basin- wide flooding.
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study of the Kosi Flood 2008
    SPECIAL ARTICLE Institutional Dysfunction and Challenges in Flood Control: A Case Study of the Kosi Flood 2008 Rashmi Kiran Shrestha, Rhodante Ahlers, Marloes Bakker, Joyeeta Gupta The Kosi flood disaster of 2008 in Bihar and also in Nepal he Kosi floods of 2008, caused by an embankment breach highlights two key issues relating to flood control. The at Kusaha village of Sunsari district in Nepal, was disas- trous. The embankments were built by India in 1959 as re- first is the failure of the structural approach to flood T quired by the 1954 Kosi treaty between Nepal and India. The control on the Kosi and the second is institutional treaty provided for construction of embankments in Nepalese dysfunction with respect to trans-boundary flood territory to control flooding both in Bihar state within India, and management. This article discusses the key reasons for a section of Nepal bordering with India. The recent floods raise two main issues: (1) Are the flood control measures appropriate the failure of flood management in the Kosi, through for the unique nature of the Kosi river? (2) To what extent can the stakeholder interviews and observations in the flood be attributed to the institutions managing the Kosi river? aftermath of the flood. The institutional context This is of critical importance if similar floods are to be prevented comprises several challenges such as trans-boundary and/or managed better in the future. The unique characteristics of the Kosi river and existing flood politics between Nepal and India, the internal politics of control measures have been extensively discussed by Dixit (2009) Nepal, intra-state politics in India, the inherent and Sinha (2008) and also by Kale (2008), Reddy et al (2008) weaknesses of the Kosi treaty, structural flood control and Gyawali (2008).1 However, although all authors refer to strategy and the lack of connection between the role of the institutions involved in the management of the Kosi river, not one analyses them.
    [Show full text]
  • The Saptakoshi High Dam Project and Its Bio-Physical Consequences in the Arun River Basin: a Geographical Perspective
    The Geographical Journal of Nepal Vol. 13: 167-184, 2020 Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28157 Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal The Saptakoshi high dam project and its bio-physical consequences in the Arun river basin: A geographical perspective Dil Kumar Rai1 and Tika Ram Linkha2* 1Adaptation for Smallholders in Hilly Areas (ASHA) Project, Government of Nepal/IFAD 2 Dhankuta Multiple Campus, Dhankuta T.U., Nepal (*Corresponding Author: [email protected]) Received: 15 November 2019; Accepted: 05 January 2020; Published: March 2020 Abstract The big project called Saptakoshi high dam is a bilateral project of Indian and Nepalese government under the Koshi agreement. At present, high dam issue is being the great issue especially raising by the inhabitants of upstream in Koshi basin. Therefore, this research paper attempts to examine the bio-physical consequences due to high dam in the upstream of Arun river basin. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technology have been used for the spatial analysis to prepare this paper. Spatial data have been taken from topographical map and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and the attribute data have taken from Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Kathmandu. It revealed that approximately 11777 hectors arable plain land will be inundated in Arun river basin only by water with river deposits due to high dam if the high dam will be built at the proposed place and proposed dam height. The proposed place lies 1.6 km upstream from Barahakshetra temple of Sunsari district and the dam height will 269 meters.
    [Show full text]
  • Nepali Times
    #421 17 - 23 October 2008 16 pages Rs 30 Weekly Internet Poll # 421 Q. Do you expect next year’s Dasain- Tihar to be better than this year’s? Total votes: 5,319 Weekly Internet Poll # 422. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. Do you think it is a good idea for the NC to join the Maoist-led coalition? EDWIN KOO RIVER TO DESERT: Just 1.5 km upstream from the Kosi Barrage in Saptari, a bull wades through stagnant water. This is where the Kosi used to flow before it suddenly breached its embankment and changed course. See also: ‘Water world’, p 8-9. combatants. But the real unknown is whether Dahal can sell that plan to his guerrilla commanders in UN-supervised cantonments. Back to work Meanwhile, there are indications of further mellowing The government has a lot of catching up to do of the Maoist line. Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai, he friendly mood of the Although sharp differences a consensus government. attending the World Bank/IMF festive season seems to have remain, both within parties in the “We need everyone on board annual meeting in Washington Taffected the top leaders of coalition and among each other, to fulfill our immediate goals of this week, surprised people there the NC and the Maoists, who have there seems to be a realisation that keeping the peace process on and in Nepal by saying his party been using tea party diplomacy progress on governance and track, to draft a new constitution was discussing dropping ‘Maoist’ this week to patch up differences.
    [Show full text]
  • Flood Disaster and Its Impact on the People in Kosi Region, Bihar
    © 2019 IJRAR May 2019, Volume 6, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138) FLOOD DISASTER AND ITS IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE IN KOSI REGION, BIHAR Dr. Sanjiv Kumar Research Fellow Univ. Deptt. of Geography, T.M.B.U., Bhagalpur Introduction The Kosi, a trans-boundary river between Nepal and India is often referred to as the “Sorrow of Bihar”. The flow of the river contains excessive silt and sand, resulting in changing the courses of the river. During the past, the river has kept on changing its courses between Purnea district in the east and Darbhanga and Madhubani districts in the west. The recent disaster was created by the breach in the eastern Kosi embankment upstream of the Indian border at Kursela in the neighbouring Nepal on the 18th of August 2008. A tragedy of unparalleled dimension unleashed was over three million people living in 995 villages spreading in seven districts of Kosi region, viz. Supaul, Araria, Madhepura, Saharsa, Purnia, Khagaria and Katihar. Objectives: The purpose of the paper is to investigate the damage caused by the devastating floods due to the turbulent river Kosi recurrently and its impact on the socio-economic life of the people inhabiting in the region which is densely populated but with poor economy. The objective refers to the sustainability of an agricultural region to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The objective is to achieve in order to create a sustainable system in environmental, social and economic terms. The other objective aims to preserve or improve characteristics of the environment such as biodiversity, soil, and water and air quality.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Report- Community Participation of Embankment Surveillance
    Volume-I FINAL REPORT Submitted to: Joint Director, Flood Management Improvement Support Centre Water Resources Department 2nd Floor, Jal Sansadhan Bhawan Anisabad, Patna-800002 Tel.: 91612-2256999, 91612-2254802 JPS Associates (P) Ltd. New Delhi Acknowledgement We at JPS take opportunity to thank all the officials at WRD namely Mr. Er Indu Bhusan Kumar, Chief Engineer (Planning and Monitoring) Mr. Narendra Prasad Mandal, Additional Project Director (BAPEPS), Official in BAPEPS namely Mr. Ravi Kumar Gupta, State Project Specialist (Environment), Officials at FMISC Mr. A.K.Samaiyar (Ex-Joint Director), Mr. Sitaram Agarwal (Ex-Joint Director), Er. Anil Kumar (Deputy Director I), Mr. Dilip Kumar Singh (Ex-Deputy Director), Mr. Nagan Prasad (Joint Director), Mr. Zakauallah (Asst.Director), Mr. Mukesh Mathur (GIS Expert) and Mr. Syed Niyaz Khurram (Web Master) for their able guidance and constant support to us in the conduct of the assignment in a smooth manner. We are also thankful to WRD field officials Mr. Prakash Das (Chief Engineer), Birpur Division, Mr. Vijender Kumar (Chief Engineer) Samastipur Division, Mr. Vijender Kumar (Executive Er. Birpur Division), Mr. Vinod Kumar (Executive Er. Nirmali Division) and Mr. Mithilesh Kumar (Executive Er.) Jhanjharpur Division and all the Asst. Engineers and the Junior Divisions of all the 11 Field Divisions for their constant support and hospitality to our team of experts and field staff during the conduct of assignment at the field level. Our thanks are also due to SRC members, Mr. Sachidanand Tiwari (Embankment Expert), and Mr. Santosh Kumar (Hydrologist), Mr. Bimalendu Kumar .Sinha, Flood Management Advisor (FMISC) and Mr. S.K.
    [Show full text]
  • Multiscale Integrated River Basin Management from a Hindu Kush Himalayan Perspective RESOURCE BOOK
    RESOURCE BOOK Multiscale Integrated River Basin Management From a Hindu Kush Himalayan perspective RESOURCE BOOK Published by Multiscale International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal Integrated River ISBN 978 92 9115 6818 (printed) Copyright © 2019 978 92 9115 6825 (online) Basin Management International Centre for Integrated Mountain Production team Development (ICIMOD) A Beatrice Murray (Consultant editor) From a Hindu Kush Himalayan This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Samuel Thomas (Senior editor) perspective Attribution Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 4.0 Rachana Chettri (Editor) International License Kundan Shrestha (Editor) Mohd Abdul Fahad (Graphic designer) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Anil Kumar Jha (Editorial assistance) Editors Note Photos: This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part Santosh Nepal, Arun B Shrestha, Chanda G Goodrich, Alex Treadway: pp iii, iv-v, vii, viii-ix, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 25, 30-31, and in any form for educational or nonprofit purposes Arabinda Mishra, Anjal Prakash, Sanjeev Bhuchar, 32-33, 44-45, 46-47, 48, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55, 56-57, 58-59, 63, without special permission from the copyright holder, Laurie A Vasily, Vijay Khadgi, Neera S Pradhan provided acknowledgement of the source is made. 68-69, 70-71, 73, 74, 77, 81, 84-85, 94-95, 96-97, 98-99, 101, ICIMOD would appreciate receiving a copy of any 111, 113, 117, 136, 148, 157, 165, 169, 186-187; publication that uses this publication as a source. No ICIMOD archive: pp 123, 132-133, 135, 139, 170; use of this publication may be made for resale or for any Jalal Naser Faqiryar: Cover, pp 18-19, 29, 86-87, 90-91, 126- other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior 127, 128-129, 140-141; permission in writing from ICIMOD.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Water Hazards in the Trans-Boundary Kosi River Basin Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric N
    EGU Journal Logos (RGB) Open Access Open Access Open Access Advances in Annales Nonlinear Processes Geosciences Geophysicae in Geophysics Open Access Open Access Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 13, 795–808, 2013 Natural Hazards Natural Hazards www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/13/795/2013/ doi:10.5194/nhess-13-795-2013 and Earth System and Earth System © Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Sciences Sciences Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric Chemistry Chemistry and Physics and Physics On the water hazards in the trans-boundary Kosi River basin Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric N. Sh. Chen1, G. Sh. Hu1,2, W. Deng1, N. Khanal3, Y. H. Zhu1,2, and D. Han4 Measurement Measurement 1Key Lab of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Process, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China Techniques Techniques 2Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Discussions Open Access 3Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Open Access 4Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Biogeosciences Biogeosciences Correspondence to: N. Sh. Chen ([email protected]) Discussions Received: 3 September 2012 – Published in Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss.: – Open Access Revised: 3 January 2013 – Accepted: 12 February 2013 – Published: 26 March 2013 Open Access Climate Climate Abstract. The Kosi River is an important tributary of the River (the most densely populatedof the river Past system among all the of the Past Ganges River, which passes through China, Nepal and In- five river systems in Asia), the Indus River and the Brahma- Discussions dia.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kosi River Basin: Reducing Flood Risk
    The Kosi River Basin: Reducing Flood Risk Extending across Tibet (China), Nepal and India the Kosi River 70,000 families and displaced 7,000 families in Nepal, while represents the largest river basin in Nepal. The Kosi River is a affecting another 3.5 million people in India. The breach of the powerful river system with a history of shifting directions and embankments and ensuing flood were not caused by the monsoon The Kosi River is the largest river basin in Nepal. The potential damage from a flood in the Kosi is significant in both Nepal and The z-spur of Chatara demonstrates the scale and challenges of flood India. risk management in the Kosi River. causing havoc in Nepal and India. Such is the potential damage that rains. In fact, the monsoon was below average during that time, so can be caused by the Kosi, it has become known as the “Sorrow of the potential impacts could have been far worse. Bihar.” Thousands of families in Nepal and millions in India continue to live in fear that at any moment, the Kosi River might burst its The 2008 Kosi River flood is a stark reminder of Nepal’s vulnerability banks and create widespread suffering. to floods and the need to address this vulnerability through disaster risk reduction and preparedness rather than a focus on relief. Communities along the Kosi flood plains do not have to think too far back to remember the power and impact a flood can have. In 2008, In 2011, the Government of Nepal officially launched the Nepal Risk the Kosi River broke out of its embankment near Paschim Kusaha Reduction Consortium (NRRC).
    [Show full text]
  • Are Embankments a Good Flood-Control Strategy? a Case Study of the Kosi River ∗
    Are embankments a good flood-control strategy? A case study of the Kosi river ∗ E. Somanathan# ∗ This paper is based on data collected jointly with Rohini Somanathan for a study of the impact of displacement funded by the PPRU (Planning and Policy Research Unit) of the Indian Statistical Institute. I am grateful to Akanksha Arora for excellent research assistance, to Morsel and its employees, especially Atulesh Shukla, for conducting the surveys, and to Bhupendra Mehta for generating the map. I thank Dale Whittington, Claudia Sadoff, and participants of the Sandee@10 conference in Kathmandu for helpful comments. The paper was written as a White Paper for the World Bank’s Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment when I was Visiting Professor at the Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University. # Professor, Planning Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi. E-mail: [email protected] 1 Introduction The eastern Gangetic plains and the adjoining floodplain of the Brahmaputra river have suffered from catastrophic floods, not only in recent decades, but far back into recorded history. It is well known that these rivers deposit large amounts of silt and eventually change their course as a result, often causing huge flood damage. Of them, the Kosi, which originates in Tibet and Nepal and joins the Ganges in Bihar, is known to be one of the most dynamic. Between 1736 and 1950, the Kosi shifted its course westwards across north Bihar by some 140 km (Hill 1997). It shifted abruptly by several kilometres once every few years, causing devastation each time. The building of a barrage in Nepal in the 1950’s and subsequent embankments along its course in Bihar appear to have halted the movement of the riverbed.
    [Show full text]
  • Strengthening the Institutional Framework for Flood and Water Management in Bihar
    Working paper Strengthening the Institutional Framework for Flood and Water Management in Bihar Developing a Strategy for Reform (Phase I) Ranu Sinha Martin Burton Ghanshyam Tiwari May 2012 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. 2 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Purpose of study ......................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Structure of Report ..................................................................................................................... 5 2 Background ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 River Systems in Bihar ................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 History of Flooding in Bihar ......................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Impact of Flooding on Growth .................................................................................................. 12 3 Approach & Methodology ................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Approach ..................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Geographical Journal of Nepal Vol 13
    Volume 13 March 2020 JOURNAL OF NEPAL THE GEOGRAPHICAL ISSN 0259-0948 (Print) THE GEOGRAPHICAL ISSN 2565-4993 (Online) Volume 13 March 2020 JOURNAL OF NEPAL Changing forest coverage and understanding of deforestation in Nepal Himalayas THE GEOGRAPHICAL Prem Sagar Chapagain and Tor H. Aase Doi: http://doi.org/103126/gjn.v13i0.28133 Selecting tree species for climate change integrated forest restoration and management in the Chitwan- Annapurna Landscape, Nepal JOURNAL OF NEPAL Gokarna Jung Thapa and Eric Wikramanayake Doi: http://doi.org/103126/gjn.v13i0.28150 Evolution of cartographic aggression by India: A study of Limpiadhura to Lipulek Jagat K. Bhusal Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28151 Women in foreign employment: Its impact on the left behind family members in Tanahun district, Nepal Kanhaiya Sapkota Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28153 Geo-hydrological hazards induced by Gorkha Earthquake 2015: A Case of Pharak area, Everest Region, Nepal Buddhi Raj Shrestha, Narendra Raj Khanal, Joëlle Smadja, Monique Fort Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28154 Basin characteristics, river morphology, and process in the Chure-Terai landscape: A case study of the Bakraha river, East Nepal Motilal Ghimire Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28155 Pathways and magnitude of change and their drivers of public open space in Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal Ramjee Prasad Pokharel and Narendra Raj Khanal Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28156 13 March 2020 Volume The Saptakoshi high dam project and its bio-physical consequences
    [Show full text]