6 firms shortlisted for Kosi project

The state water resources department (WRD) has shortlisted six consultant firms and sent their names to the World Bank for its no objection certificate (NOC). One of them would be selected for establishing a system related to flood forecasting, inundation mapping, early warning system and digital elevation model with regard to Kosi river.

'The NOC would be akin to a go-ahead signal, following which the bids of the six firms would be opened and the one quoting the lowest bid selected to do the job,' an official said. At least 13 companies had submitted the bid papers following a global tender floated by the department. If the World Bank does not give NOC for the six firms, another global tender would be floated. The companies which have bid for the job are from the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Spain, among others.

Sources said the project would cost around Rs 10.5 crore. The early warning system would be based on the study of actual discharge and force of water in real time from the upstream along the downstream.

The project is included in the short-term World Bank loan of Rs 213 crore for Bihar Kosi Recovery Project that came under implementation after the breach at Kusaha in the eastern Kosi afflux bund in Nepal in August 2008. The breach had led to what was called 'Kosi disaster' by the then PM Manmohan Singh, as the gushing flood waters hit a part of Nepal, and also Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Araria, Purnia and Katihar districts in Bihar.

The project when completed would help get a warning 24 hours before the likely impact in the plains of the Kosi basin, if it rains heavily in the upper reaches of the river in the mountainous terrain of Nepal north of Barah Kshetra, or in the area 18 km downstream of the river from Chatra up to the Kosi barrage at Birpur in Supaul district.

TOI