Foreword

The River Kosi is one of the largest tributaries of the river Ramganga, a major river of northern Ut tar Pradesh. It is a perennial river and yet it flows almost dry during summer season as the major portion of water is diverted for irrigation purposes. Another cause of concern is discharge of sewage and industrial effluents at Ramnagar and Kashipur, which deteriorates the river water quality to a considerable extent

The Central Pollution Control Board decided to conduct an in-depth study of the river in January 2000, starting from its origin the confluence with Ramganga including monitoring of various sources of domestic and industrial pollution. During the study, all the tributaries of the river especially river Bahalla, were also covered.

The present report deals with the water quality status of the Kosi and its tributaries, causes for deterioration and suggestions to improve the situation. I thank my colleagues Shri B.P. Shukla and Shri N.K. Gupta for their contribution towards preparation of the report. The cooperation extended by UP Pollution Control Board, UP Jal Nigam and UP Department of Irrigation is gratefully acknowledged.

We hope, this report will be useful for the regulatory authorities as also for policy makers, town planners and such other agencies. 4