SAPTAKOSHI HIGH DAM (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Nepal and India recently reached an agreement to lower the proposed Saptakoshi High Dam's height, addressing Nepal's concerns about potential land inundation upstream.

Koshi River

• About: It is also referred to as "Saptakoshi" in Nepal, is a trans-boundary river flowing through both India and Nepal.

o It constitutes Nepal's largest river basin and is a significant tributary of the Ganga.

• Origin: From the Tibetan Plateau, traverses the Himalayas, courses through the Mahabharat range and Siwalik hills, enters the plains of eastern Nepal, and eventually joins the Ganges in India.
• Length: 729 km (453 miles).
• Boundaries: Demarcated by the Yarlung Zangbo River to the north, the Mahananda River to the east, the Gandaki to the west, and the Ganga to the south, forming the Kosi river valley.
• Tributaries: Indrawati, Sun Koshi, Tama Koshi, Likhu, Dudh Koshi, Arun, and Tamor, which converge at Triveni, where it becomes the Sapta-Koshi.

Saptakoshi High Dam

• About: The proposed multipurpose project is located on the Saptakoshi River in Nepal, known as the Koshi River in India.
• Situated: 1.6 km upstream from Barahakshetra Temple in the Sunsari district of Nepal.
• Objective: To flood control in southeast Nepal and northern Bihar, as well as hydropower generation.