Access to sea: Kosi canal waterway

Abstract

The 1997 Kosi Study Agreement was signed between the governments of Nepal and India to conduct a detailed study of the 165 km long Kosi Navigation Canal, linking Chatara in Nepal with the seaport, through the Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly. This has paved the way for a new age of cooperation in promoting trade among countries in south Asia in general, and Nepal and India in particular. The proposed Kosi canal waterway could also help to expand the volume of Indian trade with Tibet Autonomous Region of China. At present, the Government of India (GoI) is requesting Nepal to provide transit facilities through Nepal for its trade with Tibet. The detailed study of the Kosi Navigation Canal (KNC) is going be a part of the joint Indo-Nepal feasibility study of the mammoth Sapta-Kosi High Dam Multi-purpose Project and Sun Kosi Storage-cum-Diversion Scheme. © 2009 Springer Netherlands.