The Koshi Barrage is a sluice across the

Koshi river The Kosi or Koshi is a transboundary river which flows through China, 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 onw ...

in the Nepalese Mithila region that carries vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between

Madhesh Province Madhesh Province () is a Provinces of Nepal, province of Nepal in the Terai region with an area of covering about 6.5% of the country's total area. It has a population of 6,126,288 as per the 2021 Nepal census, making it Nepal's most densely po ...

and

Koshi Province Koshi Province () is an autonomous Provinces of Nepal, province of Nepal adopted by the Constitution of Nepal on 20 September 2015. It covers an area of , about 17.5% of the country's total area. With the industrial city of Biratnagar as its cap ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. It is near the International border with

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was built between 1958 and 1962 and has 56 gates. It was constructed after the Koshi Agreement was signed between the Government of Nepal and India on 25 April 1954. The barrage was designed and built by Joseph and Company Limited, India. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is roughly 3–4 miles north of the barrage.

2008 flood

In August 2008, the eastern embankments of the Koshi Barrage collapsed, several miles north of the Nepal-India border. The resulting flood wiped out miles of fertile farmland in Nepal, covering it with a thick layer of river sand, and affected 53,800 Nepalese. It left 3 million people homeless in Bihar,

.Adhikary, Dhruba (5 September 2008)
"For Prachanda, a tale of two cities"
''Asia Times''. Retrieved on 29 September 2008.

2017 flood

Every year several areas of

Terai The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by ...

are affected due to the flood and blockage of this barrage. This affects mostly the Koshi region of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

(

Supaul Supaul is a town and municipality that is headquarters of Supaul district in the States and territories of India, Indian state of Bihar. There are 11 blocks under the Supaul district: Supaul, Kishanpur, Saraigarh-Bhaptiyahi, Pipra, Triveniganj, ...

Saharsa Saharsa is a city and municipal corporation in the Saharsa District in the eastern part of the state of Bihar, India. It is situated near the eastern banks of the Kosi River. It serves as the administrative headquarters for the Saharsa District ...

, Madhepura and Purnia). The Kosi River is known as the "Sorrow of Bihar" as the annual floods affect about of fertile agricultural lands thereby disturbing the rural economy. The Koshi has an average water flow (discharge) of .

Tourism

This river is home to the Gangetic Dolphin and other different species of fresh water fish. Siberian birds can be seen there easily during the month of August–October. People usually visit there to have the varieties of fish dishes in the nearby riverside restaurants and see the scenic view from the barrage.

Air transport

Rajbiraj Airport Rajbiraj Airport is a domestic airport located in Rajbiraj serving Saptari District, a district in Madhesh Province in Nepal. After eleven years of complete shut down, the airport resumed its operations on 23 May 2018. The airport is used by ...

is the nearest airport roughly away is located in district headquarter and nearest city Rajbiraj. Shree Airlines and Buddha Air operates daily flights between Rajbiraj and

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

References

External links