Locals in fear of floodings from ongoing Rapti River erosion

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, July 2: Rapti River has been eroding its banks rapidly in Khalla Jhagadiya, located between Narainapur Rural Municipality-6 and Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality-7 of Banke.

As it is raining continuously in the hilly districts, the water flow in the Rapti River is increasing, and it is seen that the temporary bamboo embankment built to stop erosion at Khalla Jhagadiya will also be washed away, raising the fear of flooding in the area.

Stating that the temporary bamboo embankment built to stop erosion may be washed away and the river may flow towards the villages, Narainapur Rural Municipality Chairperson Syed Istiyak Ahmed Sah said that the erosion has put about 60,000 residents of more than half a dozen villages in Narainapur and Rapti Sonari at high risk of inundation and flooding at any time.

He said that the incessant rains have increased the risk of the river washing away the bamboo embankments and entering into the farmlands and settlements. 

Sah said, “There is a risk that the Rapti River can erode and change its course, so it is necessary to immediately start the construction of a permanent embankment. I am continuously taking initiatives for this.”

Sah also informed that a team, including the head of the office of the ‘People’s Embankment Programme’ has already conducted an on-site inspection for river control. 

Locals have also said that that if the current temporary embankment completely collapses, several settlements and hundreds of bighas of land in Narainapur and Rapti Sonari will be at risk.

Arun Yadav, a local of Khallajhagadiya, said that 60,000  people of the villages, including Deupura, Piprahawa, Khallajhagadiya, Geduwa, Gangapur, Sonbarsha, Khudrbetwa and Kaduwa in Rapti Sonari and Narainapur rural municipalities are at high risk of flooding as the embankment destroyed by the flood two years ago has not yet been rebuilt.

He said that since the river has already started destroying the temporary bamboo embankment, it is certain that the floodwaters coming from the Rapti River will enter the villages if heavy rains occurs in the hilly regions. 

To know the situation of the erosion of the Rapti River and the bamboo embankment, Banke Chief District Officer Dharmaraj Joshi, Police Chief and Superintendent of Police Ram Prasad Gharti Magar, Armed Police Chief and Superintendent of Police Shobha Kant Khanal, Nepali Congress Banke Constituency No. 1 President Poshan KC and others have made field visit and appealed to the locals to take precautions. 

Most of the locals have stated that the flow of the Rapti River is high and the temporary embankment is weakening, and the river is increasingly entering the villages. They have demanded the immediate construction of a permanent embankment and said that they were forced to stay awake all night due to the fear of floods and inundation.