PHALEBASH (Parbat), July 3: An irrigation canal known as the first and oldest in Dhaulagiri collapsed due to incessant rainfall on Saturday morning.
The canal located at Phalebash of Parbat used for irrigation purposes by Khani Gaun, Devisthan and Madikuwa VDCs crumbled under pressure of high current. The paddy plantation season has been affected due to the unprecedented collapse of the irrigation canal.
Damage to irrigation amounts to Rs 2.42 billion
Local farmer, Bharat Shrestha, said the reconstruction of the canal will take a lot of money and time. The canal crumbled after it could not withstand the pressure from a huge current.
The canal has subsided five meters deep, local Budhi Poudel said. He added that the farmers were facing hard time due to shortage of water after the canal collapsed. Paddy plantation in hundreds of hectares of land in the villages will be disrupted.
Minister for Irrigation, Umesh Yadav, had recently made an inspection tour of the canal. The canal was built in 1984. RSS
