NAWALPARASI, Dec 26: The second inter-country water conference has begun in West Nawalparasi from today.

The conference is organized by the River Rights Forum South Asia at Thantighat on the bank of the Narayani River in Susta rural municipality of West Nawalparasi. The meeting will run till Saturday.

Around 200 river-affected representatives from Nepal, India, and Bangladesh are taking part in the conference. The three-day conference will hold extensive discussions on the long-term solutions to the problems afflicting the river-affected people of the three countries, Brij Raj Kushahawa, president of the River Rights Forum South Asia Committee, said.

The conference will be concluded by issuing a Declaration that would include the problems facing the local people living in and around the Gandak area, the ways to resolve these problems and other issues. The River Rights Forum is a network of river-affected communities of Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

The Gandak River Control Committee has been struggling for long-term resolution of the problem emanating from the Gandak area before this and it has expanded its struggle campaign. This campaign, based on the principle of 'one river, many communities', organized the second conference in Nepal. The first conference was held in Bangladesh last year.

Today also marks the signing of the Gandak Agreement between Nepal and India with the strategy of deepening the bilateral relations between the two countries. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the agreement but the people living in and around the Gandak area are facing more trouble than benefit from the agreement, the Gandak-affected people have complained.

The people of the area have been facing problems like the erosion of agricultural land, inundation, and flooding every year due to the river. Nepal and India inked the Gandak Agreement in 1959.

 
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