Embankments on riversides help keep farms, settlements safe

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 29: Padam Kumari Magar is enthusiastically working to put boulders inside a metal gabion wire on the banks of the Bhatahi River in Sindhuli. More than two dozen people are actively working to construct an embankment on its side. 

“Every year, this river floods nearby areas. My fields lie on one side of it and my sister's fields lie on the other side. They are regularly destroyed by floods. We are grateful that you gave us the materials and the labour cost to construct this embankment. We have received employment, and our fields are now safe from floods,” said Magar with a smile lurking in her face. 

Farming is the main source of livelihood for her family of five. Currently, corncobs on one side of the riverbank are almost ready to harvest. Likewise, on the other side of the riverbank, she plants paddy and lentils as per the season. Every year, she and her extended family are scared that the monsoon rains will wash away their produce and leave them with nothing to eat, said a press statement issued by Building a Resilient Churia Region in Nepal (BRCRN).

“Last year, a flood entered my sister's fields. My nephew worked hard to protect the fields with an embankment, but it was of no use. So now, we hope that this embankment built with the help of BRCRN will help us make a living from our farm,” she said.

Constructing riverbank stabilisation structures is a part of the work, done to improve the climate resilience of the people who live in the eastern Chure region. To date, the BRCRN has constructed 96 such embankments across Koshi, Madhes and Bagmati provinces, benefiting more than 40,000 people. 

These embankments are often built on the sides of seasonal streams, called 'Khahare' in Nepali. The streams are mostly dry in autumn and winter, with the riverbeds full of rocks, silt and sand. In monsoons, with the sudden onset of rain, the rivers often flood. 

Unlike the snow-fed rivers that flow all year round and have a more predictable path and volume, these seasonal streams are entirely unpredictable, their paths and volumes changing every year. In monsoons, they often stray from their path and destroy nearby homes, settlements, structures and farms.

The Sisne Khahare Khola in Sindhuli is an example. At Sisne, the river flows through a settlement of indigenous Tamang people, who live in mud homes with thatched roofs. In the past, the river had displaced several households, some of whom shifted to the end of the village and some left the settlement entirely to migrate to Tarai. This year, the BRCRN helped build an embankment on the side of the river, shielding the settlement of about 30 homes from seasonal floods. A local, Prem Bahadur Thokar hopes they won't have to migrate in the future.

In the past, when the river flooded, we didn't sleep at night. We just patrolled the banks all night, keeping watch with torchlights on,” said Thokar. But with this embankment, we are relieved. We hope to sleep soundly this year.

BRCRN often works with the most vulnerable communities to protect them from the adverse impacts of climate change including flooding. One of them is Dilmaya Waiba, who lives on the banks of the Sisne Khahare River in Sindhuli. 

She makes a living by farming on her meagre land, working for wages on other farms, and raising goats. From these activities, she earns livelihood for her son and daughter, while also supporting her disabled sister who lives with her. Every year, during monsoon, she is afraid that the river will break its bank and flood her home.