ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Ajaya DixitSubscribe to Ajaya Dixit

Kosi Embankment Breach in Nepal: Need for a Paradigm Shift in Responding to Floods

The breach of the Kosi embankment in Nepal in August 2008 marked the failure of conventional ways of controlling floods. After discussing the physical characteristics of the Kosi River and the Kosi barrage project, this paper suggests that the high sediment content of the Kosi River implies a major risk to the proposed Kosi high dam and its ability to control floods in Bihar. It concludes by proposing the need for a paradigm shift in dealing with the risks of floods.

Mahakali Impasse and Indo-Nepal Water Conflict

The Mahakali Treaty between India and Nepal was signed and rammed through the Nepali parliament in extreme haste, pushing aside all the serious doubts that were raised about the dam, the highest rockfill dam in the world in the seismic Himalayas. This article attempts to put into perspective the complex set of events that led to the signing of the treaty and to understand the dynamics of Nepal-India water conflict in the last three years.

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