Emergency embankment construction intensified in Banke's Khalla Jhagadhiya

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, July 16: In a decisive move to prevent flood disasters, the ‘Janata Tatbandha Programme,’ Lamahi, has intensified the construction of an emergency embankment along the Rapti River in Khalla Jhagadhiya, Banke.  The previous embankment of the site was destroyed two years ago.

The rapid erosion caused by the river, compounded by the absence of a protective embankment, has put over a dozen settlements in Rapti Sonari and Narainapur Rural Municipalities at high risk of inundation.

 According to Dr. Narayan Subedi, Project Chief of the Janata Tatbandha Programme in Lamahi, emergency embankment work is now being expedited to save these vulnerable communities.

Dr. Subedi said that a 400-metre-long stretch of the embankment is under construction using innovative techniques. Materials such as cement poles, bamboo, plastic bags filled with sand, and protective wire mesh are being deployed. Over 150 workers have been mobilised for the task.

The project involves assembling RCC porcupines, a type of river training structure, by connecting six cement poles, each three metres long and 10x10 centimetres thick. Weighing approximately five quintals each, the RCC porcupines are placed in two parallel rows in the river to curb erosion. Because of the unavailability of a suitable crane locally, a 40-metre boom crane was brought from Butwal.

In addition to RCC structures, bamboo porcuines, each constructed by embedding seven-metre-long bamboo poles, with four metres into the riverbed, have also been installed. These are interwoven with bamboo mats, layered with geotextile sheets, and secured with sand-filled plastic bags wrapped in protective mesh, forming a temporary yet resilient embankment.

The permanent embankment, stretching 400 metres, is scheduled for completion by December 2026, under a contract valued at Rs. 60.5 million awarded to Sai Maa Durga Binsi JV. The emergency structure currently being built is intended to prevent further erosion during the monsoon season, after which permanent works 

will commence.

Dr. Subedi said that he and his technical team have remained on-site for over two weeks, working around the clock to oversee construction. The permanent embankment will have a base width of 30 metres, a height of six metres, and a top width of five metres.

According to Ram Lakhan Tharu, Ward Chair of Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality–7, the newly constructed emergency embankment has already altered the river's course and significantly reduced erosion. He said that local residents, who had long lived under the fear of flooding and displacement, are now experiencing a sense of relief.

The previous embankment at Khalla Jhagadhiya was destroyed by flooding in October 2022. Since then, locals have been repeatedly lobbying their rural municipality, the Lumbini provincial government, and the federal authorities to reconstruct the embankment, but budgetary constraints delayed action.

Chairperson of Narainapur Rural Municipality, Istiyak Ahmad Sah, said that local representatives had raised the issue with numerous provincial and federal ministers, including former Prime Minister and Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,  during their visits to the area. He expressed gratitude that under the leadership of Dr. Subedi and the Janata Tatbandha Programme, critical emergency measures have finally been implemented, offering relief to approximately 50,000 residents exposed to flood risks.

Following the completion of the embankment in Khalla Jhagadhiya, plans are underway to construct a similar emergency structure in Phattepur Jaraiah along the Rapti River, the project office confirmed.