Bardibas women braving heat to build wall to control flood

By Rabindra Upreti ,Bardibas, June 16:  Amid the scorching heat of the Tarai, women from Thapa Tole, Khayarmara in Ward No.11 of Bardibas Municipality, are busy constructing a masonry wall at the foothills of Chure.

The temperature is about 40 degrees Celsius. Their bodies soaked in sweat, their stomachs are empty, yet the energetic and enthusiastic women of the village are engaged in carrying boulders, mixing cement and building the masonry wall. They have no time to waste. 

Since the construction began on May 21, around 26 women have been continuously working day and night for the development of their village.

Even though they are working to build the masonry wall, they are not labourers. All of them are members of the Progressive Women’s Group. Among them, seven are officials and members of the Consumers’ Committee.  The standard of work, dedication and enthusiasm of the Women-Friendly Consumers’ Committee of Khayarmara has become a talk of the town.

According to local social worker Poshna Thapa, to protect the settlement from the monsoon runoff coming from the Chure hills, the Madhes Province Infrastructure Development Office, Mahottari, has approved a budget of Rs. 5 million.

This budget, allocated for constructing a 270-metre-long masonry wall from the Banke Khola in the west to the Badhuwa stream in the east has gained attention after the Women-Friendly Consumers’ Committee signed the agreement and began the construction.

Social worker Thapa said, “For national prosperity, women’s leadership in development is essential. That initiative has started from Thapa Tole in Khayarmara.”

According to ward chairperson Purna Bahadur Bal, there was initially some dispute due to intermediaries trying to interfere with the wall construction plan. After a village meeting reached a consensus and the ward office gave its recommendation, the Women-Friendly Consumers’ Committee was formed for the first time. Locals said the monsoon runoff had been damaging about 60 bighas of land belonging to 70 families in Thapa and Kafle toles.

Consumers’ Committee chairperson Anita Subedi stated that with the realisation of the long-held dream to protect the settlement from the monsoon runoff, women of the village have been working tirelessly day and night.

Chairperson Subedi said, “On one hand, we face the challenge of completing quality work on time. On the other, we have laboured without concern for hunger or thirst to prove if given the opportunity, women can do anything.”

Treasurer of the Committee Anuradha Magarati said that none of the women working here are taking any wages. According to the agreement, labour worth Rs. 253,000 must be contributed voluntarily.

The earned remuneration would be deposited into the group’s account, she said. She added that the group is labouring to raise funds for a cold store and building construction to market the milk produced in their village.

Previously, the group had saved about Rs. 300,000 by harvesting paddy and wheat and collecting firewood.