Beni launches erosion control efforts

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Myagdi, May 18: Retaining wall construction has begun at Mangalaghat in Beni Municipality–7 to control erosion along the Myagdi River.

The Water Resources and Irrigation Management Project, Kaski, has started building a composite-type retaining wall along the riverbank at an estimated cost of around Rs. 10 million.Mangalaghat settlement is highly vulnerable to river erosion from the Myagdi River.

According to engineer Narajung Gurung of the project office in Pokhara, the wall is being constructed under the Beni Town Protection Project to safeguard the Mangalaghat area. He said a 55-metre-long composite structure will be built along the riverbank.

The project office signed a contract worth Rs. 9,919,295 with Bhairavi Engineering Pvt. Ltd. on February 22, 2026. With the agreement set to run until the first week of July 2026, the construction company has already mobilised equipment and workers to begin the work, Gurung said.

“We have instructed the contractor to complete the work on time, as the settlement is at high risk of river erosion. The plan is to finish the construction before the river’s water level rises,” he said.

He said that the lower section of the riverbank will feature a four-metre-high RCC structure, while the upper section will have a three-metre-high gabion wall.

More than 500 metres of retaining wall have already been constructed in different phases at Mangalaghat. The area, located in the western part of Beni Bazaar, is home to over 200 houses, government offices, and staff residential buildings.

The Beni Town Protection Project, operated by the Pokhara project office, has been ongoing for the past five years. A previous phase of embankment protection work along the Kaligandaki River was also completed last year.