The Indian authorities have built the embankment on no man's land without any consent from the Nepali side.
Half a dozen houses in the border areas of Hirminiya VDC-1 have become submerged following incessant downpour on Thursday night. As the downpour has continued Friday morning also, rainwater blockage at the embankment will likely inundate additional villages.
"The natural flow of rainwater has been obstructed by the Indian embankment, and this has resulted in the inundation of our houses," said Radheshyam Maurya, one of the inundation victims in Hirminiya VDC.
Although a culvert has been built by the Indian authorities for the rainwater, it exists in name only, he added.
Earlier, the locals had protested the construction of a road by the Indian authorities along no man's land. They had also agitated against a hume pipe and culvert positioned in such a way that they prevent the natural flow of the water.
Due to the higher level of the embankment and culvert, water has become blocked on Nepali land and become an artificial reservoir. Local houses have become surrounded with the water.
Meanwhile, India's Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) on Friday released water through two smaller culverts upon the request of Nepal Police. The water that has stagnated in the border areas on the Nepali side has not yet been released completely, according to locals.
Even after Nepali land has become inundated after India built the road along no man's land, the district-based authorities have yet to visit the affected areas.
Meanwhile, the Indian-built embankment has also submerged Saigaun village in Banke, according to Police Sub-Inspector Bhim Rawat at Saigaun Police Station.
With the monsoon picking up, the blockage of water may continue to pose threats on locals residing in the border areas on the Nepali side. The district-level authorities have already informed the authorities in Kathmandu, requesting them to hold discussions with the Indians to sort out the issue. However, the central authorities seem to have turned a deaf ear to the locals' concerns and their plight.
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