Nepal wants river embankment removed, flood threats loom large

Even as the threat of flood looms large across Bihar and a high alert has been sounded across several districts, Nepal has threatened to break the embankment over the Lal Bakiya river in Baluwa Guwabari area of East Champaran.

 Nepal has been claiming that the land from pillar number 347/5 to 347/7 belongs to it and as such, the CDO (equivalent of district magistrate) of Rotahat district in Nepal, Basudev Dhimre, has asked the Indian authorities to remove the embankment as it falls in their territory or they will break it.

The Bihar government had started flood-fighting work along the western embankment and on 30 May, the Nepali authorities forcibly stopped the work near the Baluwa Guwabari area.

 The SSB jawans stationed in the area were also attacked by people from Nepal. Now even as most of the work has been completed by the Indian authorities, the Nepali government has stopped work in a stretch of 500m which has given rise to fear of floods. Several areas in East Champaran were submerged in the swelling waters of Lal Bakiyariver in 2017 when the river had breached its embankment at almost the same place. Now the villagers are living in fear as a stretch of 500m where no work has been allowed by Nepali authorities remains highly vulnerable with embankment caving in at several places.

The Bihar government has been maintaining the embankment which was constructed during the British era. It’s only his year that Nepal has raised objections on the maintenance of the embankment. The strengthening of the entire embankment has been completed but a stretch of 500m remain vulnerable.