Tikapur Residents Urge Lawmaker Komal Gyawali to Address Karnali River Erosion

Tikapur: Local residents of Tikapur have demanded that lawmaker Komal Gyawali prioritize addressing the region's primary issue: river erosion.

During a joint discussion between federal, provincial, and local representatives in Tikapur Municipality, Kailali, participants warned that failure to control the Karnali River erosion in time would put the lower regions of Tikapur at significant risk.

Locals highlighted that the Karnali River is rapidly eroding the area above Tikapur Park and the Satti Karnali Community Forest, necessitating immediate intervention. On Tuesday, representatives from all three levels of government conducted an on-site inspection of the damage caused by the river erosion.

In the joint discussion chaired by Acting Mayor Ram Bahadur Nagarji, local resident Ananta Khadka from Tikapur-5 expressed frustration, stating that despite years of approaching the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project, the Karnali River Control Office in Bardiya, the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project in Kanchanpur, and various provincial and federal authorities, the problem remains unresolved.

“When we brought officials from the Water Resources Management Project, they claimed the Rani Jamara project was handling the Karnali, and they would work on the Mohana instead, where four crore rupees were spent,” he said. “The irrigation project cannot do enough, and other offices are not investing, which is the root of the problem. We need guaranteed budget allocation specifically for embankments, not just for protecting irrigated areas, to save our land and settlements.”

Tikapur-8 Ward Chairman Dirgha Bahadur Thakulla pointed out that river-related laws are also creating obstacles. He noted that extracting riverbed materials has become difficult, and the river's shift toward the Kailali side has increased the risk. He requested the federal lawmaker to make river control the top priority and ensure budget allocation. “First, control the Karnali River; second, solve the landless problem; and third, focus on the development of Tikapur Park,” he said. “If these are done, we can collaborate on development, education, and other matters gradually.”

Acting Mayor Nagarji urged for the protection of Tikapur citizens from flood risks. “For the first time, representatives from all three levels of government have discussed the problems and suffering here,” he said. “Since everyone is affected by erosion and flooding, we must work together to ensure the safety of our citizens. We lack the resources; the provincial and federal governments must prioritize river control here.”

During the program, Premraj Ghimire, Chief of the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project in Tikapur, stated that construction work on embankments in some parts of the Karnali River has stalled due to rising fuel prices. “Contractors have given up, claiming they cannot work at current costs compared to the original estimates, and we are constantly pressing them,” he said. “Currently, embankments are being built using big boulders in areas like the irrigation project's intake, behind the park, and near Sankatti.”

Ghimire added that the project is only mandated to protect irrigated areas and currently lacks the budget to stop the erosion occurring in the Satti Karnali Community Forest. Sudurpashchim Provincial Assembly member Laxman Kishor Chaudhary stated that river control is the responsibility of the federal government. “The provincial irrigation office is also reluctant to invest, citing the presence of the federal irrigation project on the Karnali,” he said. “The province is only working on the Mohana. Now, all three levels of government must work together to solve these problems.”

Lawmaker Gyawali, representing Kailali-1, stated that he has taken the river erosion issue seriously, raised it in Parliament, and informed the Prime Minister. He promised to take initiatives to ensure budget allocation. “I have discussed disaster management with local and provincial government representatives and inspected the erosion-prone areas,” he said. “The monsoon is approaching; let us all work together on preparedness and immediate actions. I will prioritize long-term solutions from the federal level.”