As the farmers and locals living along the Kosi River belt in Bihar struggle with the problem of silt, the main cause for flood fury in the region, Union Science and Technology Ministry is working with the State Government to test and analyse if the sediment can be put to some economical use. In the process, it can also bring salvation from floods.
Prabhat Ranjan, executive director Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) explains, “Kosi River flows from Nepal to Bihar. It carries huge silt with it. TIFAC is working on productive use of this silt. The aim is to find value in waste.”
laboratory experiments are currently being performed in various research institutes such as Ceramic Glass Research Institute on the silts to determine its properties and if it can be used in various spheres. The tests are being done on the line of fly ash which has been found to be good for road construction, earth dam construction, soil stabilisation etc. Fly ash is the bye-product of coal based power plants.
“As Kosi comes from the mountainous region of Nepal it falls at a rapid pace, bringing along huge amount of silt. As it flows on the Bihar plain land, the silt settles down. While fine silt which settles on the top is good for agriculture, medium and heavy silt are dangerous as once it settles down, it has capacity to change the water course as it blocks its flow,” Ranjan said.
He recalled Kosi flood of 2008 when the river broke the embankment, causing huge devastation, killing many and destroying countless property. Building embankments have not delivered results.
Now, all eyes on the ongoing researches by the TIFAC. A breakthrough in this direction, whenever that happens, is sure to pave way for the better usage of silts in many other rivers too as sediment raises their beds, shrinking their channels and blocking their flow.
The TIFAC and state officials have already collected silt samples from the first 50 km of the river for analyzing purpose.
In fact, preliminary researches have shown that silt can be used in manufacturing cheap ceramic products. If results are positive, people will start buying silt for productive purpose. It will also ensure that the economy of the area is improved. Besides, this will also take care of the cost incurred on dredging of the silt, said Ranjan.
The TIFAC is an autonomous organisation was set up in 1988 under the Department of Science and Technology with an aim to look ahead in technologies, assess the technology trajectories, and support technology innovation by network actions in select technology areas of national importance.
