Nikhilesh Jha

As Bihar is undone by disaster, it is time to commit to long-delayed water management projects

Five persons displaced by the floods caused by breach in the Saptakoshi embankment and living in Koshi Barrage camp have died after suffering from a serious bout of diarrhea in the past 24 hours. One of the deceased is an Indian national who was taking shelter at the camp.

Dipak Gyawali, former Minister for Water Resources, heads Nepal Water Conservation Foundation and is hydropower expert.

Q: Why did the Koshi breach its embankment? Who was responsible for the repair work-- India or Nepal?

At least five persons were killed in separate incidents of landslides in Tanahun district, Saturday.
Reports quoted police as saying that three persons died after landslide in Chokchissapani VDC-9 swept away the house belonging to Nanda Prasad Joshi.
The deceased have been identified as Joshi's wife Sabitri, his 13-year-old son Shanker and neighbor Suman Luintel.
Likewise, landslides in Barbhanjyang VDC-8 claimed the lives of two persons -Deu Kumari BK, 63 and her daughter Chija, 27. Their bodies were found buried deep in mud. Three persons were also injured in the incident.

Loss from Sidr: The economic loss caused by super cyclone Sidr that hit Bangladesh on November 15, 2007, is more than us $ 4.4 billion, reveals a survey conducted by the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh. The cyclone completely destroyed about 4,10,000 hectares of farmland and damaged 12 lakh tonnes of the Aman paddy crop, which accounts for 40 per cent of the

IN APRIL 2007 the World Bank announced that 986m people worldwide suffered from extreme poverty

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has announced it is mobilising emergency food assistance for 50,000 people displaced by floods in the eastern Terai districts.
"The emergency operation is in response to a Government of Nepal request after monsoon rains caused an embankment of the Saptakoshi River to collapse, flooding thousands of hectares of land and forcing an estimated 50,000 people to flee their homes," the WFP statement reads.

Sreelatha Menon / New Delhi August 28, 2008, 0:18 IST

Bihar seeks Rs 1,000 crore and 100,000 tonnes of foodgrain immediately.

Work to fill the nearly two-and-a-half kilometre breach in the Kosi barrage embankment has begun with the help of initial supplies from the Farrakka barrage. The breach has caused the worst flood in Bihar in recent history.