Blockage of Rapti River by India-made structure to blame for the inundation 

The construction of Laxmanpur Dam and Kalkalwa embankment by India near the border against the international norms leaves villages in Banke inundated every year.

NEPALGUNJ, Aug 8: With every drop of rainfall, Tara Devi Nepali of Fattepur, Dhallaiya holds her breath as if any disaster might occur in the area anytime. The fear of the locals in the area is not unfounded as the Rapti River is just 15 meters away from Nepali's house.

As the water level in the river crossed the warning level a few days ago, Tara Devi's family including her neighbors stayed up the entire night away from their houses.

“All of us get anxious and frightened when it rains heavily. In the last 13 years, we have been hit hard by floods twice,” said Nepali.

Back in 2014 and 2017, the entire village was submerged after water level increased in the river. As the threats of flood this year were quite high, the locals had an embankment constructed nearby the village. Despite constructing the embankment, the locals are hardly convinced that it could prevent flood.

“The concrete structures used in the embankment have been swept away by heavy flow of water. This has further increased the threats of flooding,” said Nepali.

The last time when flooding occurred, it affected areas like Fattepur, Baijapur, Binauni, Kamdi, Holiya, and Bethani of Banke district. One of the locals of Taperi village of Fattepur, Ram Lal Tharu, stated that the embankment is not capable of preventing the disaster that many places in the district anticipate.

“The sub-standard construction of dam and embankment raises questions about its quality. This will end up putting many lives on stake,” said Tharu.

He further stated that the district authorities turned a deaf ear to the pleas of the community locals regarding the issue.

“An urgent solution is required in order to prevent disaster in the area that is highly prone to floods,” added Tharu.

The construction of Laxmanpur Dam and Kalkalwa embankment by India near the border against the international norms leaves villages in Banke inundated every year.

The inundation occurs as the Rapti River gets blocked by structures made by India. “With heavy rainfall occurring in Pyuthan and Rolpa upstream, the water level increases in Rapti threatening flood down in the plains,” added Tharu.

 
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