NEPALGUNJ, JULY 15: As the western main canal of the Sikta Irrigation Project blocks the natural outlet of the river, there has been rapid erosion of arable land in Banke's Dhakeri. The local Bhakta Khola has eroded four katthas of land of Dhan Bahadur Oli, six katthas of Bir Bahadur Dangi and four katthas of Lal Bahadur Khatri.
According to the locals, about four bighas of arable land are on the verge of being turned into riverbanks. “Before the construction of the Sikta Irrigation Project canal, this river used to flow naturally. After the canal was built, the river could not flow properly. Due to this, the cultivable land is being eroded rapidly,” said local Jhaggu Prasad Dangi.
"There is no arable land in Kathmandu"
A normal culvert has been built after a canal extending east-west blocked the naturally flowing river. However, the victim Dhan Bahadur said that the culvert was smaller than the water flowing in the river and the flow of water in the same place caused damage to the cultivable land.
“Until the canal was built, the water flowed in all directions. But when the canal was built, the collected water started flowing from the same place and caused erosion,” he said. Dhan Bahadur said that if the problem is not solved in time, there is a danger that the village itself will be displaced.
Locals say that the Bhakta River should be diverted into the nearby Rimra River to reduce the damage to cultivable land. Although the Sikta Irrigation Project Office has been repeatedly requested to divert the river, the locals are complaining that their demand is being ignored.
Planning Director Dr Santosh Kaini said that efforts are being made to stop the damage caused by the Bhakta River. "The local residents came to the office to inform us about the damage caused by the river, and the river was also cleaned using a machine,” he said, “We discussed the option of building an embankment of sacks and bamboos where the river has caused erosion.”
