Madhepura: Residents of the Kosi and Seemanchal regions may soon find relief from the perennial flood threat and gain improved irrigation facilities, as work on the first phase of the ambitious Kosi-Mechi river linking project has commenced from the Bhenga river at Birpur in Supaul district of Bihar.A few days ago, water resources department chief secretary Santosh Kumar Mall, accompanied by Supaul DM Sawan Kumar and engineer-in-chief Abdhesh Kumar, visited the site to review the progress of the first phase and related preparations. The state govt is executing the project under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), the chief secretary said.The ambitious scheme, with an estimated cost of Rs 6,282 crore, aims to link the Kosi river with the Mechi river, a tributary of the Mahananda, by constructing an additional 76 km-long channel to divert surplus water from the flood-prone Kosi into the Mechi.The project is expected not only to address the recurring flood problem but also to provide improved irrigation facilities to around 2.14 lakh hectares of farmland across the Kosi and Seemanchal regions. Preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the next phase is underway, sources said.Under the first phase, widening and deepening of the existing 41-km-long and 400 metre-wide main irrigation canal has been taken up. The Kosi barrage supplies water to the Kataiya hydel power station through the Eastern Kosi canal, from where it flows into the main irrigation canal.On the issue of encroachment on Kosi project land on the Nepal side, DM Kumar said removal work would be expedited after formal coordination with Nepal. Experts said the project could prove a boon for residents of the north-eastern region.
