BIHAR KOSI FLOODS

2008

A NATIONAL DISASTER
 KOSI – The Sorrow of Bihar
THE KOSI – A part of Ganges,
Brahmaputra and Meghana riverine system
travels through Nepal before entering the
plains of Bihar.
Kosi, the sorrow of Bihar, has remained an
enigma for engineers for the number of
avulsions it has had till date causing huge
floods every time. It was as recent as 2008
when it breached the embankment in
Kushaha (Nepal) and shifted eastwards.
 2008 Floods - an Unprecedented Tragedy
 On 18 August 2008, the Kosi River burst through its eastern
embankment about 13 km upstream of the Kosi Barrage in
Nepal, 8 km north of the Indian border.
 At its peak, the intensity of water force went up to 166,000
cubic feet per second (cusec) compared with the regular 25,744
cusec, running straight down south through a new course 15-20
km wide and 150 m long north to south.
 This created major flooding in Nepal and India - Bihar in
particular. According to official figures, a total of 3.3 million
people were affected in Bihar.
 Bihar is divided into 38 districts, of which five districts,
namely Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Araria and Purnia, were
severely affected by the flood.
 These 5 districts make up 12 percent of Bihar’s landmass. They had not experienced significant
flooding since the completion of the barrage and afflux embankments in 1963, with consequent lack
of preparedness.
 A total area of close to 3700 sq. km was inundated, affecting 412 Panchayats and 993 villages.
 The floods resulted in a significant decline in the agricultural production base due to sediment
deposition and loss of livestock, farm working capital and other farm assets (e.g. tube wells,
implements, etc.).
 It also affected six districts in Nepal. Approximately 53,800 Nepalese (11,572
households) were affected by the Koshi floods in Sunsari District, according to the
Government of Nepal (GoN).
 Koshi Wildlife Reserve along the Koshi river was severely impacted by the floods including
its wildlife and biodiversity.
 DAMAGES CAUSED
 The total population in the 5 main affected districts is estimated to be 9.4 million, of which 32 percent (3
million) were affected by the floods.
 Approximately 493 lives were lost and 3,500 were reported missing after the disaster. The flood triggered one
of the largest evacuation operations with over 1 million people evacuated, and about 460,000 people
accommodated in 360 relief camps.
 Housing : According to Government of Bihar figures, 236,632 houses were fully or partially destroyed
across the districts of Supaul, Madhepura, Saharsa, Araria, and Purnea. The estimated damage is Rs. 5,935
million (US$ 134.9 million). Of these, the first three districts were the worst hit with over 95 percent of
the reported damage.
 Roads and Bridg es: About 1800 kilometers of paved and unpaved roads and about 1100 bridges and
culverts were destroyed in the floods. Maximum damages were reported in Supaul, Madhepura and
Saharsa.
 Water Resources (Irrigation and Flood Protection): Extensive structural damage was caused to irrigation
and flood protection infrastructure, including the Kosi barrage. More than 6 km of the main Eastern Kosi
Canal was fully damaged, 3 km of the branch, and 1 km partially damaged. Over 150 km of the
distributaries and sub-distributaries were fully damaged, as well as 730 km of the water courses, 151 canal
bridges, and 138 regulators.
 Ag r iculture and Livestock: Over 350,000 acres of paddy, 18,000 acres of maize and 240,000 of other
crops were adversely affected, impacting close to 500,000 farmers. Approximately 10,000 milk animals,
3000 draught animals, and 2500 small ruminants perished in the disaster.
 ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
 Koshi flood of August 2008 in eastern lowlands of Nepal
affected 700 ha fertile land in Nepal. It was calculated that
25% of the affected cultivated land of Shreepur, Haripur and
western Kushaha villages in Sunsari district are still barren
and remain filled with flood sediment of sizes from clay to
sand even after 12 years. The issues of land change from
fertile to barren because of flooding and characteristics of
the sediments in terms of cultivation are the foci of this
research.
 On 18th August 2008, Koshi river diverted on its 100 years
old course towards the eastern side by breaking its
embankment with 90% flow of water (MoHA 2009).
 This flood is considered as one of the most disastrous natural
events of the last decade in terms of the number of people
affected and the loss of properties. The flood completely
destroyed three Village Development Committees (VDC)
whereas two VDCs were partially affected.
 The flood deposited large amounts of sand and silt on
agricultural land affecting millions of people in India and
65,000 in Nepal (MoHA 2009).
 The economic loss incurred by the loss the existing crops
estimated at US$18.7 million reduced the National Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.3% on 2009 (ADB, Asian
Development Bank 2009).
 About 700 ha of fertile land was uncultivable because of
the inundation of the land with flood sediments filled
with sand and silt (THT, The Himalaya Times 2011) till
2011.
 Most of the severely affected VDCs are still in desert like
conditions even after 12 years of the event.
 The change in the state of cultivable land to barren due
to the flood sediments of Koshi is thus a major focus of
this study. The 4–5 m level difference between
embankment area and river channel pose further risk for
recurring devastations.
 Relief and Rehabilitation Work
 In response to the disaster, widely reported as the region's worst flood in 50
years, Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, met Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh to seek his help in dealing with the
"catastrophe".
 The Prime Minister declared a "natural calamity" on 28 August and
earmarked US$230 million in aid for the region. Rescue operations were
carried out by the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) and non-government organizations. Indian Air Force helicopters
dropped relief supplies in the worst-hit districts. Mumbai Fire Brigade sent
a 22-member disaster management team to help in relief work.
 Chief Minister Nitish Kumar requested a rehabilitation package of Rs 145
billion from the central government for the flood ravaged Kosi region.
 The Bihar government returned funds from Gujarat for relief work because
of purported differences with the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi.
 On 1st September, describing the floods as a "disaster,"  Dalai Lama gave
1,000,000 rupees to the Bihar government for relief work.
 The Government of Bihar initiated Kosi Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Programme covering
30,000 affected families in Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura district based on a pilot project
implemented by ODR Collaborative, a network of organizations, supporting the Government and
an owner driven reconstruction policy was formulated to support each family with Rs. 55,000 to
construct their own house.
 After signing an agreement with the World Bank in January 2011, this programme has been
upscaled to cover 100,000 families for reconstruction of hazard safe houses. The cost per house
will be Rs. 55,000 ($1200) with an additional cost of Rs. 2,300 ($50) for a toilet and Rs. 5,000
($110) for solar powered lighting. In cases where beneficiaries do not own land, the Government of
Bihar will provide additional assistance of Rs. 5000 ($110) for the people to buy the land.
 Towards this project, the World Bank is contributing $220 million. The Government of Bihar has
also partnered with ODR Collaborative and UNDP to continue the social and technical facilitation
and capacity building for this 'owner driven reconstruction' programme. Technical guidelines have
been brought out to enable owners to build houses with various local materials including bamboo.
 The rehabilitation work has been incredibly slow. Out of a total 100,000 houses to be built by the
Government in the Kosi region comprising Madhepura, Saharsa and Supaul districts, only 12,500
were built till February 2014.
 CONCLUSION
 Repeated large-scale loss events in Bihar have brought significant destruction, hindering economic
performance and depriving communities of their assets, livelihoods, and labor force, all too often locking
them into endemic poverty cycles. And each year, the State is plagued with the same disasters, impacting
thousands of people, destroying lives and livelihoods, and necessitating the externalization of disaster
response.
 The devastation wrought by disasters in the region, however, has also presented an opportunity to initiate
improvements in quality of life and changes in attitudes about risk while undertaking reconstruction tasks.
As seen in examples across the region, good reconstruction after a disaster can help revive the local
economy, restore livelihoods, and improve access to housing, its quality and safety, as well as social and
community infrastructures. Peoples‟ participation in reconstruction activities such as through owner driven
reconstruction, reinforces equity and strengthens community networks.
 Some Reactions to the Kosi Floods 2008
 “The Kosi Flood is nothing but a National
Calamity” – Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan
Singh
 “The floods have pushed Bihar back to 50
years” – Rameshwar Prasad, a local historian
 “Places where crops were standing 15 days ago
is 12 -14 feet deep underwater and the current
of water is comparable to Richter 5 of
earthquake intensity” – Chandan Singh, an
environmentalist and flood volunteer
THANK YOU