West Nawalparasi, Aug 10: Local people and security personnel have joined hands in a collective volunteer effort to build a temporary embankment to protect the Susta area of West Nawalparasi from flooding and river erosion.
With the water level in the Narayani River rising and the risk of inundation and erosion threatening nearby settlements, locals have been filling sacks with sand and soil and placing them along the riverbank to create a temporary barrier.
Since Wednesday, residents, the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel have been working together to build the embankment from Susta Tharu Tole in Susta Rural Municipality Ward 5 to the area around the Simal tree, known as a border landmark. Workers are filling sacks with sand and tying them with nylon ropes in an effort to control the river’s flow.
Susta Save Campaign spokesperson Rabindra Jaiswal said the local community had taken the initiative to carry out temporary protection work to reduce the risk of flooding. According to him, campaign members, residents and personnel from all three security agencies have been working around the clock on the embankment.
“Our immediate priority is to protect the village from flooding and river erosion,” he said. “Until a permanent solution is found, we are using local labour and available resources to build a temporary barrier.”
The issue in Susta recently drew national attention after locals accused India’s Sashastra Seema Bal, or SSB, of demolishing a similar temporary embankment they had built. Following the controversy, locals, the administration and concerned agencies held several rounds of discussions, after which temporary protection work was allowed to move ahead.
Earlier, the Narayani Irrigation and Water Induced Disaster Management Project in Bharatpur had planned to begin construction of a permanent embankment through a contracting process. However, locals say the Indian side objected to the work, saying approval from higher authorities was necessary. Construction of the permanent structure was subsequently halted, with priority shifting to temporary protection measures.
The Narayani Irrigation Office and the Nepal Gandak Western Canal Irrigation Management Office have provided sacks and nylon ropes for the temporary embankment. Locals have also arranged additional sacks, sand and ropes from their own resources to speed up the work.
Jaiswal said construction is continuing as the river flow could increase further. He said additional manpower and materials would be mobilised if necessary to protect the settlement.
Susta has faced annual threats from flooding and erosion caused by the Narayani River, and residents have long demanded a permanent embankment. They say the temporary barrier may provide immediate relief, but the settlement will continue to face the same danger every monsoon unless a long-term solution is put in place.
Locals have urged the government to resolve technical and administrative complications in the border area and coordinate with the concerned authorities in Nepal and India to move ahead with the construction of a permanent embankment as soon as possible.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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