'Kosi embankment issue is difficult to solve'

Patna, Oct 20: The Kosi embankment issue is difficult to solve and it is like a 'snake tied round necks of the people in the Kosi basin,' Barh (Flood) Mukti Abhiyan said on Oct 20. Throwing light on the vexed issue of breach in Kushaha embankment and the catastrophic floods thereafter in Bihar, Barh Mukti Abhiyan convenor Dinesh Kumar Mishra said it was quite difficult to find a solution to the Kosi river issue.

''The embankment is like a snake tied round the necks of the people in Kosi basin,'' he said, adding that it continues to bother a population of nearly 1.2 million living along the embankment and if it breaches, it could hit around three million people, who have no clue which route the river is going to adopt.

He appealed to the experts to find out a solution to the flood problems of the state.

Mr Mishra said floods have been a recurring phenomenon but were never declared a national disaster earlier.

The recent flood had affected 117 blocks and 2,521 villages, Mr Mishra said and exhorted the people and all political parties as well as NGOs to initiate a nationwide debate to find a formidable solution to the problem.

Mr Mishra also mentioned that the debate over the issue of viability of the Kosi embankment had been going on since the British rule.

Meanwhile, Dr Sudhirendra Sharma, who is a part of the fact finding mission and had visited the area before the breach and onset of the rainy season in March, said repair of the embankment was not a sure shot way to control the situation. He suggested for a phasewise rehabilitation of the flood affected people.

''The people of the flood affected areas should be involved in planning and finding out a solution to the problem of Kosi floods,'' Dr Sharma opined.

UNI