Bihar to change Kosi’s course to save ancient site, says Nitish
By C K Manoj
The Bihar government will try to divert the course of the mighty Kosi river in Bhagalpur district to save an archaeological site discovered recently, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said December 20, 2020.
He made the announcement at Guwaradih village in Naugachhia sub-division of Bhagalpur district. Several priceless artefacts have been found at the site during the excavation of a mound over the past year.
These items could be 2,500-years-old and could be of interest for historians if conserved, archaeologists have said.
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Environmentalists said changing the Kosi’s course could be disastrous for Bihar as seen in 2008. At that time, the river had breached its mud embankments at Kushaha in Nepal.
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“The Kosi frequently changes its course naturally. If its course is artificially changed, it will cause floods and erosion in new areas, leading to massive displacement of people,” Bhagwanji Pathak, flood expert and coordinator of the Kosi Consortium, an umbrella organisation set up to fight for the flood victims living along the Kosi told this reporter.
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