Embankment Construction on Jogbudha River Alleviates Flood Fears for Kutiya Kavar Settlement

Kanchanpur. The Kutiya Kavar settlement, previously affected by floods, has become secure following the construction of an embankment on the Jogbudha River. The fear of flooding in the settlement located in Dodhara Chandani Municipality-10, Kutiya Kavar, which had been grappling with flood problems for years, has subsided after the construction of an 800-meter long embankment on the Jogbudha River.

Kutiya Kavar, situated at the confluence of the Mahakali River in the east and the Jogbudha River in the north, was affected by floods from both rivers every year. Locals, who used to be displaced by inundation during the monsoon season, now feel safe after the construction of the embankment on the Jogbudha River. Locals say that the settlement became secure after the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project constructed an 816-meter long embankment on the Jogbudha River in the last fiscal year.

Local resident Khadak Budha stated that the settlement has become secure after the construction of the embankment here. "In the past, due to river erosion, several bighas of land here were submerged into the Mahakali River," Budha said, "We used to migrate to Dodhara due to the fear of floods during the monsoon, but now that the embankment is built, we have received great relief."

He mentioned that with the embankment built on the river this time, they will be freed from the pain of floods they have endured for years. "About 400 meters of embankment construction remains on the Mahakali River," he said, "If the embankment is built in that location too, this area will be free from the problems of inundation and erosion."

Ward Chairman of Dodhara Chandani Municipality-10, Chandra Bahadur Singh, informed that the Kutiya Kavar settlement has become secure after the construction of the embankment on the Jogbudha River. "The settlement is secure due to the embankment construction; the fear of floods and inundation has been removed for the locals here," Ward Chairman Singh said, "Embankments are also being constructed in other places on the Jogbudha; this will solve the flood problem here." According to him, this settlement was the most affected by floods in the past. The Nepal Army has also constructed a safe house in this settlement and handed it over to the municipality. This settlement, inhabited since 2022 BS, had a population of 150 families. About 100 families have been displaced from here after the Mahakali and Jogbudha rivers started entering the settlement. Locals expect that migration will stop after the embankment construction.

The Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project had signed a contract agreement with Shankar Construction on March 25 last year for the construction of the embankment on the Jogbudha River at Kutiya Kavar for Rs 5 crore 16 lakh 67 thousand. According to the agreement, the 816-meter long embankment was to be completed by Chaitra 25, 2082 BS.

Ranjan Raj Bhattarai, Chief of the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project, Mahendranagar, confirmed that the settlement has become secure after the construction of the embankment at that location. He stated that the project office is working on controlling various rivers, including the Mahakali River, Jogbudha, Doda River in Kanchanpur, and Mohana Kutiya in Kailali. "The work on the projects contracted last fiscal year is in the final stage," he said, "We receive many demands from the locals for river control, but the project faces a budget shortage." It appears that about Rs 10 crore in budget is insufficient to complete the works for which contracts were signed after obtaining source consent in the last fiscal year. The project office has stated that the process for additional budget allocation has been initiated.

A six-lane paved road has been constructed along the Mahakali River near the Dodhara Chandani Dry Port site. Although embankments built on the Mahakali River need maintenance due to being weak, maintenance could not be carried out due to a budget shortage at the project.