NAPM and River Basin Platform Oppose Kosi-Mechi River Linking Project, Demand White Paper from Government

New Delhi: On March 28, 2025, the Press Information Bureau announced that the Union Cabinet had approved the Kosi-Mechi River Linking Project. This project, following the Ken-Betwa river linking initiative, is now India’s second-largest interlinking project. The government claims that the project will help mitigate Kosi River floods and boost irrigation in districts like Araria, Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar in Bihar.

However, last year, when the Finance Minister allocated funds for the project, the Kosi Navnirman Manch analyzed the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and field studies available on the National Water Development Agency’s (NWDA) website. The findings raised serious concerns, prompting demands for government clarification and a white paper, which remain unanswered.

The government is promoting the project as a solution to Kosi’s devastating floods. However, an analysis of the DPR suggests otherwise. When fully operational, the project will divert only 20,247 cusecs of water through the Kosi Eastern Main Canal, which currently has a capacity of 15,000 cusecs. Even after remodeling, the additional diversion will be just 5,247 cusecs.

In September 2024 alone, the Kosi River recorded a flow of over 681,000 cusecs, while the Bhimnagar barrage is designed to handle up to 950,000 cusecs. Even if the project were fully functional at that time, it would have reduced only 0.77% of the floodwater—an insignificant amount that would have no real impact on flood mitigation.

Moreover, past incidents show that during high floods, gates of the Kosi Eastern and Western Canals are closed, preventing water diversion altogether. This raises serious questions about the project’s actual flood mitigation benefits.

Irrigation Claims: Reality vs. Government’s Projections
• Limited Seasonal Benefits: The project aims to provide irrigation to 215,000 hectares in Araria, Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar during the Kharif season. However, this region already receives an average 1,640 mm of rainfall over 55 days, meaning irrigation would only be required in extreme drought conditions. The real need for irrigation is in the Rabi season, which the government claims will be addressed through a yet-to-be-built high dam—essentially an unfulfilled promise.
• Previous Failures: The original Kosi Eastern Canal project aimed to irrigate 712,000 hectares, but the target was later reduced by 338,000 hectares in 1973 due to failure in achieving the goal. The reduced target remains unmet to this day. The same pattern is likely to be repeated with the Kosi-Mechi project.
• Resource Competition and Conflict: If a drought occurs during the Kharif season, both the existing Kosi Eastern Canal command area and the newly proposed Mechi-linked irrigation area will need water. Given that the existing canal has already failed to meet its target, how will it sustain additional demand? This could create conflicts between farmers from old and new command areas.

Increased Risk of Floods and Waterlogging

The project proposes crossing 13 Himalayan rivers via siphons. However, these rivers swell massively during monsoon, bringing floods and heavy sedimentation. The perpendicular alignment of siphons will likely obstruct natural river flow, leading to increased flood risks and waterlogging.

A past example is the 2017 failure of the Kosi Eastern Canal near Bathnaha (Araria district), where a siphon-based river crossing collapsed during monsoon flooding.

Environmental Impact and Ecological Concerns

Like other river linking projects, the Kosi-Mechi project is expected to disrupt local biodiversity and sediment balance. The Kosi and Mahananda basins have rivers with different silt compositions, and their intermixing could have unpredictable environmental consequences.

A Political and Commercial Gimmick?

It appears that the government is using the false promise of flood relief to gain political mileage while benefiting contractors and vested interests. Instead of addressing Kosi’s flood and irrigation challenges through sustainable, localised solutions, the project lays the foundation for a new disaster.

Demands by River Basin Platform & NAPM

We urge the central and state governments to respond to the following concerns:
1. If the claims in the DPR are incorrect, the government should issue a white paper clarifying the facts.
2. If the concerns are valid, the government must halt this destructive project and explore alternative flood mitigation and irrigation strategies for the Kosi region.