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Rediff.com  » News » Deluge a glimpse of what lies ahead for Bihar: Report

Deluge a glimpse of what lies ahead for Bihar: Report

September 11, 2008 21:43 IST
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The Kosi floods have began to disappear from the media but the river has continued to flow uninterrupted on its `new' course, flowing at higher discharge levels than the one that had breached the embankment on Aug 18, 2008.

The fact that the breach will not be plugged over next 7-8 months sends shivers down the spine if one thinks of the millions trapped by the river in spate.

To add to the problem, September is normally the time for peak discharge in the river. The report Kosi Deluge: The Worst Is Still To Come is an assessment of why the river remains an enigma and why manmade interventions have turned it into `the sorrow of Bihar'.

The report is based on first hand accounts from travels in the flood plains. The report argues that the present deluge has been a glimpse of what that lies ahead if the state neglects the ground realities and rests on its past follies.

The report presents shocking facts about gross negligence and an absence of accountability that has aggravated the problem. A river flowing several feet above the ground level harbours a perfect recipe for disaster.

Authored by Sudhirendar Sharma and Gopal Krishna, on behalf of the Fact Finding Mission, the report diagnoses the problem and presents radical alternatives to solve the problem.

 

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