The alert has been sounded after the massive landslide over Bhote Kosi last night, which is one of the major tributaries of the Kosi River in Nepal, Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary told PTI.
"The landslide in the upper reaches of Bhote Kosi, around 100 kilometres beyond Kathmandu, has blocked the main course of the entire river. Water is fast accumulating there forming a massive water body. According to our information the Nepal Army is preparing to blast the blockage."
"We do not know the exact volume of water and are trying to estimate it. But a huge quantity of water is sure to be released after the blast. It may also spill beyond the Kosi and its embankments causing floods," added the minister.
The state government is keeping its fingers crossed that a repeat of the Kosi disaster 2008 does not happen.
A breach in Kosi embankment at Kushaha in Nepal on August 18, 2008 had resulted in one of the most disastrous floods in Bihar.The river changed its course, killing hundreds of people and displacing around 30 lakh. The incident also brought wide scale destruction of agriculture over 8 lakh acres of land.
All WRD officials have been called on duty. The department is also keeping a watch on the Varah Kshetra area of Nepal where Bhote Kosi joins the Kosi River. Normal water flow takes five to six hours to reach Birpur from there.