Rautahat, August 6

The flooded Bagmati and Lal Bakaiya rivers are rapidly eroding embankments in different parts of Rautahat and Sarlahi.

Floodwater has started washing away land in Badarhawa, Tejapakad and Maryadapur of Durga Bhagawati Rural Municipality, Rautahat, and Hajariya Rural Municipality in Sarlahi.

The floods have unleashed terror among locals in Badarhawa.

Chief of Water Induced Disaster and River Control Division Office, Rautahat, Raj Kumar Sriwstab said floodwater in Bagmati had been rapidly eating away land in Hajariya village. “Teams of technicians have been deployed to control erosion. However, locals are facing a shortage of required materials to control the flood,” Sriwastab added.

According to Sriwastab, a team of technicians has been deployed with 20,000 sacks of sand and nylon nets to control the erosion at Tejapakad of Paroha Municipality.

He said work to control the Lal Bakaiya River was being carried out on the war footing and swift erosion of embankment at Tejapakad had unleashed terror among locals.

Sriwastab said his office had deployed a team of technicians to Maryadapur and Laxminiya as well. “We are making every possible effort to overcome the problems of erosion and flood,” Sriwastab said.

Sekh Raish, a local, said the swift erosion of land by floodwater in the past two days had locals worried. “The flood is such that it might breach the embankment any time and gush into settlement areas,” Raish said.

Rautahat Chief District Officer and District Disaster Management Committee Chair Govind Prasad Rijal said personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Red Cross, among others, were working together to control floodwaters in Rautahat.