Kosi River

Why in news?

• 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.
• Environmentalists said changing the Kosi’s course could be disastrous for Bihar as seen in 2008 when the river breached its mud embankments at Kushaha in Nepal and caused extensive damage to life and property downstream.

About Kosi River:

• The Kosi is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, Nepal and India.
• It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal.
• From a major confluence of tributaries north of the Chatra Gorge onwards, the Kosi River is also known as Saptakoshi  for its seven upper tributaries.
• The Saptakoshi crosses into northern Bihar, India where it branches into distributaries before joining the Ganges as a tributary near Kursela in Katihar district.
• The Kosi River is 720 km long and drains an area of about 74,500 km2 in Tibet, Nepal and Bihar.
• It is known for its frequent shifting of courses leading to heavy destruction to life and property and hence the river is often called the “the sorrow of Bihar”.
• Its unstable nature has been attributed to the heavy silt it carries during the monsoon season, and flooding in India has extreme effects.

Prelims Question

Consider the following rivers:
1.Alakananda
2.Gandaki
3.Ghagra 
4.Son
Which of the rivers given above is/are tributaries of Ganges:
(a)1,2 and 3 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)2,3 and 4 only
(d)1,2,3 and 4

Answer to prelims question