Contractor exploits riverbed resources in Babai River

BY JYOTI PANTHI,Bardiya, May 26: Barbardiya Municipality in Bardiya district has been found negligent in the contract agreement for the extraction of riverine materials from the Babai River.

The contractor was found to have extracted riverbed materials such as sand, gravel and soil beyond what was approved in the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) report prepared by the municipality. According to the contract, the contractor is not allowed to extract materials from within the water or use excavators. However, Bhada Construction, the company contracted by the municipality, has been freely extracting materials from within the river and in quantities exceeding the approved limit mentioned in the IEE report.

Since measurements cannot be taken properly when extraction is done from within the water, contractors tend to exploit this by conducting unmonitored extractions.

As per the IEE report prepared by the municipality, Bhada Construction was permitted to extract 5,813.40 cubic metres of riverbed materials from the Lathuwa Ghat section of the Babai River. However, it has been found that the company has extracted more than three times that amount. The contract does not mention the use of excavators, but Bhada Construction has been using them in violation of the agreement, extracting riverbed materials adaily using about a dozen tipper trucks for sale and distribution.

According to the contract, the agreement would be fulfilled once 465 tippers of material had been extracted. Despite this, Bhada Construction has been continuously extracting materials using about a dozen tippers daily for over five months, while the municipal officials remain silent.

Even though the company needs to follow the IEE guidelines, Bhada Construction appears to have ignored the report completely. When asked about the illegal extraction, Engineer Prakash Shahi of Barbardiya Municipality said that they were monitoring the situation, but no action has been taken so far.

Meanwhile, Barbardiya Mayor Chhabilal Tharu said he would consult the municipal engineers to learn more about the matter.

The District Coordination Committee is supposed to coordinate the Riverbed Material Extraction Monitoring Committee, but the committee has also remained silent. 

Due to ineffective monitoring, construction companies have been exploiting the riverine materials freely and irresponsibly.