BANKE, AUG 10 - The Rapti river has destroyed an under-construction embankment on Friday and started flooding the nearby Tepari village. Locals said the settlement had been at risk after the embankment was destroyed. “We were hopeful that the settlement would be secure with the construction of the embankment, but it gave way before the floods,” said local Ramesh Yadav.
“As the water has started entering the village, we fear that we have to leave our houses and run this year too,” Yadav said. The water from the river has been eroding land at Chauferi village and now moving towards the Tepari village.
“As the river has been eroding the land, we fear the whole settlement will be swept away in case of a major flood,” said Ramarti Bahun, a local resident, stressing that the entire settlement was at risk of being swept away if preventive measures were not put in place immediately.
Meanwhile, the local administration has pledged to help construct temporary embankments after being informed by the locals of the situation. While the river has been eroding the land continuously, locals alleged that the embankment was swept away due to poor quality of work.
The Citizen’s Embankment Programme had allocated Rs 47.9 million for the construction of a dam and the embankment spanning seven metres. “Even the work has been left incomplete and the water is also directed straight towards the settlement,” said Asharam Maurya, chairperson of the Rapti River Inundation Victims’ Struggle Committee, stating that the government was to blame partly for the consequences. The embankment programme was supposed to relieve the locals who have been facing inundation and land erosion for years.
Meanwhile, local representative of the embankment construction company, Ram Kumar Bahun said they had not been able to complete the work due to the lack of stones. Approximately 10,000 people residing in settlements along the river have been affected by the erosion each year while hundreds have been rendered landless.
Post a Comment