By Our Correspondent
Gaighat, Dec. 25: People living on the bank of the Koshi River are involved in the risky business of bamboo, which they tie into a raft and flow with the current of the mighty river to take it to the market. They sit on the raft alongside their goods.
They bring the bamboo to the Terai markets from Udayapur, Khotang and Bhojour districts in the hope of making some money.
The trade has boomed as they could sell them easily and at reasonable prices in the markets once they manage to take them there.

The residents of the districts said that they had been engaged in the bamboo trade for the past few years.
Harkajit Rai of Mainamani in Udayapur said that the bamboo business was started due to the poor economic condition of the family and low income from traditional agricultural occupations.
The Saptakoshi River, which flows through the border areas of Udayapur, Khotang, Bhojpur and Sunsari districts, carries the bamboo from hilly areas to Chataraghat in Sunsari for sale. But sometimes they fear of losing their lives as they flow with the river.

Ratnaser Rai, another businessman from Babala-9, Udayapur, said that they had no choice but to be in the business as they are the only breadwinner in their houses.
Purna Bahadur Khatri of Faktang-4, in Khotang district, who has been in the trade for the past five years, said they had been in business due to poor economic conditions.
“Buying bamboo from hilly villages at cheap prices and transporting it to Chataraghat free of cost through the Koshi River and selling it at a good price is a profitable business, but there is an equal risk of losing one's life while flowing down with the bamboo in the river,” Khatri said.

Not only Ratnaser Rai of Udayapur and Purna Bahadur Khatri of Khotang but people who are economically poor and unemployed are in the business.
According to Raj Sangpang, a local hotelier in Chataraghat, the number of people in the trade has increased because of the distraction from traditional farming.
Harkajit Rai of Mainamani said, “Youths from low-income households are mainly involved in the business not by choice but by compulsion.”

Until the recent past, bamboo was available at Rs. 25 per quintal in hilly areas. But that price has spiked with the increase in the number of traders, say the traders. The farmers of the village have also benefited financially from the booming business.
It takes five days for the farmers to collect the bamboo from the farmers’ fields and two days to sell it after transporting it to Chataraghat. According to the locals, the trade has been booming at this time due to the low water level in the river. The business is profitable from November to April, the period when the water level in the river diminishes.

The bamboo traders at Chataraghat said that the bamboo business was flourishing as there was no problem in selling the bamboo because a lot of people needed it either to construct their houses or fence their land.