Locals of Kailali gathered in biological embankment to prevent river erosion

Tikapur: Locals of Tikapur-8 of Kailali have joined the biological embankment after the danger of the river entering the settlement increased. 250 locals are engaged in embankment work daily on the banks of Karnali River on the border of Satti Karnali Community Forest in Tikapur-8, Bangaun.

For four days, the locals have been trying to control the river by filling the soil with locally available reeds, bamboo and branches. It seems that 25 meters of embankment should be built on that river in Bangaon. Locals have said that they have started making biological embankments in the area of ​​about 10 meters where there is more risk.

Local Ram Prasad Chaudhary said that if the Karnali river bursts, Ward No. 8 will be completely submerged. Badghar Bangaon, Fata, Anurwa, Batnpur, Kamalgaun, Karmidanda, Ramdanda, Sattipul and Payalgaun of Ward No. 9 will also be destroyed, so they have been engaged in local labor donation, he said.

Rani-Jamra-Kularia irrigation project has provided 800 katta and tarjali for the embankment. 65 percent of embankment participants are women and the rest are men.

Badghar Choudhary, who is engaged in efforts to control it, says that even though there is three meters more water in the river, there is only a local option. He says, "In the place where the embankment is being done, the water is up to four meters, but the embankment has to be done. If the flow of water in the river increases, there is no way to stop it. We are doing our best to stop the current erosion."

Last year, Ward No. 8 was completely flooded when the river burst in the same place after the unseasonal rains on 2nd November last year. Even though the Rani-Jamra-Kularia irrigation project and the Tikapur municipality repaired it after the flood due to the change in the river bank and the river entered the settlement, it is collapsing again this year.

Ward President of Ward No. 8, Dirgha Bahadur Thakulla, who is involved in local labor donation to prevent this, said, "I myself am working on embankment work. We have been asking for the irrigation project, state and federal government to help us for a long time. The irrigation project is doing embankment work at different places. But the river has destroyed it in different places. The settlement can be saved only by embanking the river in a big way." 

Ward President Thakulla said that the citizens of this place have to live with the fear of floods every year during the rainy season. "Various settlements and the Satti Bridge are at risk due to river erosion. If the river enters the settlement, the very existence of Ward No. 8 is at risk. The river has been cutting every year in Bangaun; the river has also cut down about 25 bighas of Satti Karnali community forest." Ward president Thakulla said.

The citizens of the lower coastal area of ​​Tikapur have been facing the problem of river erosion and flooding every year during the rainy season. Local Kul Bahadur Chaudhary demands that the government should work to provide relief to the citizens who have to face the stress caused by the river itself.