History blamed it sorrow of Bihar. Geologists claimed it changing of river's course, politicians call it best way of politics and the flood victims term it struggle for survival.
Yes, every body else continue to call it river Kosi, with devastating potentialities. Meandering behaviour of the river has puzzled powers in state governance and the inhabitants of marooned villages.
Madrauni, a sleepy hamlet on the river's bank, under Naughachia sub-division-some 25 km away from Bhagalpur district head quarters, has been witnessing the madness of the river for the last 10-15 years.
Bivash Chandra Singh, former Mukhiya (village headman) said that the village having more than 7,000 people has to witness massive land erosion since 1987.
He accounted that the villagers lost over more than 4,000 acres of fertile lands in the river bed and more than 600 pucca houses so far.
Madrauni is not the isolated case; hundreds of villages on the bank of Kosi in a 100 km stretch in Bhagalpur district from Bhawanpura to Kursela, are on the verge of erosion.
Interestingly, Madruni hamlet has to accommodate 10,000 population of Sohora, the
hamlet which disappeared inside river bed in 2006-07 floods.
"Rapid shifting in course has become a common feature of Kosi, compounding the miseries in north Bihar. The river is notorious for the meandering behaviour of its east-to-west course," Naugachia Flood Control Department Sub Divisional Officer NK Datta said.
Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University's Geography Department Head Umesh Prasad Singh has admitted that in the past 250 years, the Kosi has moved westwards by more than 100 km.
During the summer floods, the Kosi has been known to attain a width of over 30 km on the nearly flat Ganges plain, he pointed out.
"The river which used to flow near Purnea in 18th century, now flows east of Saharsa," he said.
According to him the photographs from satellites clearly depicted that the river migrated more than 72 km towards west from 1950. The study on the change of the course of the river also claimed that from 1770 to 1825 the river had shifted average of 2.1 km yearly.
Increase in earthquakes in the Himalayan ranges, the exit point of the river, from 1922- 1933, however, had increased the shifting average to the river to 4.8 km yearly.
The river set out its course from the glacier located at the height of 5,500 feet on Himalayas and merges with Ganga near Kursela (Bhagalpur-Purnea border) after crossing Tibet, Nepal. It enters inside Bihar from Birpur and passes through 12 districts.
Many geologists, however, blamed the construction of a dam over the river in Nepal on 1955 and hold it responsible for volatile nature of the river.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sent an SOS to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking relief for the marooned people.
"I will meet the Prime Minister in a couple of days to apprise him of the situation and demand adequate relief," the Chief Minister said, requesting political parties to shun politics, when people are battling with the worst-ever flood situation.
The breach in the Kosi embankment that is yet to be plugged has led the river to change its course and spread over an area of 325 km, instead of the earlier 250 km.
Before the breach, the river beginning from Sunsari district of Nepal passed through Bhimnagar barrage, Birpur, Supaul,, Saharsa, Nawhatta and Chandrain before terminating in the Ganga at Kursela in Purnea near NH-31 that connects Bihar, Bengal and Assam.
After the breach that occurred on August 18, the river changed its course and now it passes through Dhundhgarh, Lali (Nepal), Birpur, Bhimnagar, Chhota Ghat, Lalpur, Parsa, Chhap, Sitapur, Gulmi Kishenpur (all in Supaul district of Bihar), Araria, Bokharaha, Sonharsa and Sursand before merging into the Ganga at Kursela.
When the swollen river burst its banks in a part of Nepal just north of the border with India, it changed course, now flowing through a fresh channel some 75 miles (120 km) to the east, which has no levees or protective embankments.
And with the river traditionally swelling to a peak and flooding in October, it threatens the area surrounding its new path with destruction.
After Bihar's 'river of sorrow' changed its course, the worst-hit district has been Supaul that is on the verge of losing its existence, said a member of a team carrying out an aerial survey.
"We have pressed four helicopters and 100 motorboats into service to ferry men and material," Nitish Kumar said.
The Chief Minister admitted that over 10 lakh people in Bihar are battling the flood fury and surging waters have swallowed homes in Supaul, Saharsa and Madehpura.
The marooned have taken shelter along railway tracks, embankments and national highways beyond Kursela. Administration is yet assessing the flood toll and unofficial reports said it has taken lives in thousands.
The government has urged the Indian Embassy at Kathmandu to rope in the Nepal government to rush in men and relief to assist state engineers engaged in plugging in the breached embankment at Kusaha.
"Imagine what will happen to the area," the state Disaster Management Minister Nitish Mishra said, warning people to move out at the first opportunity and save their lives.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who carried out an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, blamed the Bihar government for not approaching the centre to seek assistance to repair the Kusaha embankment.
Meanwhile, the Railway Minister today met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his return from Guwahati and apprised him of the flood situation in Bihar.
History blamed it sorrow of Bihar. Geologists claimed it changing of river's course, politicians call it best way of politics and the flood victims term it struggle for survival.Yes, every body else continue to call it river Kosi, with devastating potentialities. Meandering behaviour of the river has puzzled powers in state governance and the inhabitants of marooned villages.
Madrauni, a sleepy hamlet on the river's bank, under Naughachia sub-division-some 25 km away from Bhagalpur district head quarters, has been witnessing the madness of the river for the last 10-15 years.
Bivash Chandra Singh, former Mukhiya (village headman) said that the village having more than 7,000 people has to witness massive land erosion since 1987.
He accounted that the villagers lost over more than 4,000 acres of fertile lands in the river bed and more than 600 pucca houses so far.
Madrauni is not the isolated case; hundreds of villages on the bank of Kosi in a 100 km stretch in Bhagalpur district from Bhawanpura to Kursela, are on the verge of erosion.
Interestingly, Madruni hamlet has to accommodate 10,000 population of Sohora, the
hamlet which disappeared inside river bed in 2006-07 floods.
"Rapid shifting in course has become a common feature of Kosi, compounding the miseries in north Bihar. The river is notorious for the meandering behaviour of its east-to-west course," Naugachia Flood Control Department Sub Divisional Officer NK Datta said.
Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University's Geography Department Head Umesh Prasad Singh has admitted that in the past 250 years, the Kosi has moved westwards by more than 100 km.
During the summer floods, the Kosi has been known to attain a width of over 30 km on the nearly flat Ganges plain, he pointed out.
"The river which used to flow near Purnea in 18th century, now flows east of Saharsa," he said.
According to him the photographs from satellites clearly depicted that the river migrated more than 72 km towards west from 1950. The study on the change of the course of the river also claimed that from 1770 to 1825 the river had shifted average of 2.1 km yearly.
Increase in earthquakes in the Himalayan ranges, the exit point of the river, from 1922- 1933, however, had increased the shifting average to the river to 4.8 km yearly.
The river set out its course from the glacier located at the height of 5,500 feet on Himalayas and merges with Ganga near Kursela (Bhagalpur-Purnea border) after crossing Tibet, Nepal. It enters inside Bihar from Birpur and passes through 12 districts.
Many geologists, however, blamed the construction of a dam over the river in Nepal on 1955 and hold it responsible for volatile nature of the river.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sent an SOS to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking relief for the marooned people.
"I will meet the Prime Minister in a couple of days to apprise him of the situation and demand adequate relief," the Chief Minister said, requesting political parties to shun politics, when people are battling with the worst-ever flood situation.
The breach in the Kosi embankment that is yet to be plugged has led the river to change its course and spread over an area of 325 km, instead of the earlier 250 km.
Before the breach, the river beginning from Sunsari district of Nepal passed through Bhimnagar barrage, Birpur, Supaul,, Saharsa, Nawhatta and Chandrain before terminating in the Ganga at Kursela in Purnea near NH-31 that connects Bihar, Bengal and Assam.
After the breach that occurred on August 18, the river changed its course and now it passes through Dhundhgarh, Lali (Nepal), Birpur, Bhimnagar, Chhota Ghat, Lalpur, Parsa, Chhap, Sitapur, Gulmi Kishenpur (all in Supaul district of Bihar), Araria, Bokharaha, Sonharsa and Sursand before merging into the Ganga at Kursela.
When the swollen river burst its banks in a part of Nepal just north of the border with India, it changed course, now flowing through a fresh channel some 75 miles (120 km) to the east, which has no levees or protective embankments.
And with the river traditionally swelling to a peak and flooding in October, it threatens the area surrounding its new path with destruction.
After Bihar's 'river of sorrow' changed its course, the worst-hit district has been Supaul that is on the verge of losing its existence, said a member of a team carrying out an aerial survey.
"We have pressed four helicopters and 100 motorboats into service to ferry men and material," Nitish Kumar said.
The Chief Minister admitted that over 10 lakh people in Bihar are battling the flood fury and surging waters have swallowed homes in Supaul, Saharsa and Madehpura.
The marooned have taken shelter along railway tracks, embankments and national highways beyond Kursela. Administration is yet assessing the flood toll and unofficial reports said it has taken lives in thousands.
The government has urged the Indian Embassy at Kathmandu to rope in the Nepal government to rush in men and relief to assist state engineers engaged in plugging in the breached embankment at Kusaha.
"Imagine what will happen to the area," the state Disaster Management Minister Nitish Mishra said, warning people to move out at the first opportunity and save their lives.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who carried out an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, blamed the Bihar government for not approaching the centre to seek assistance to repair the Kusaha embankment.
Meanwhile, the Railway Minister today met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his return from Guwahati and apprised him of the flood situation in Bihar.
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