RAUTAHAT, JULY 13 Increase in water level in the Bagmati and Bakaiya rivers has led to erosion of embankments and river banks in Rautahat. In Rajdevi Municipality, the Bagmati river has started eroding the embankment in the northeast of Brahmapuri. With this, a number of places including Mudawalawa, Laxmipur, Belbichhawa and Brahmapuri itself have come under high risk of inundation. Locals are worried as the spurs created to support the embankment are sinking. “After two spurs supporting the embankment were compromised by the river, locals and security personnel are working together to repair the damaged spurs and save the embankment,” said local social activist Nabin Singh. “After working day and night from yesterday afternoon, the joint team of police and locals have managed to stop the erosion by piling up bamboo poles and sand bags at the site where the river had damaged spurs,” Singh said. At the initiative of Mayor Dhirendra Kumar Singh, an Armed Police Force Laxmipur Belbichhawa team carried out the work with locals. Similarly, erosion caused by the Bakaiya River has worried people living in villages such as Dewahi, Karuniya, Jigadawa Belbichhawa, Bairiya Baluwa and Banjaraha near the river. “Though the floodbreached embankment on the river was repaired later, this year again, erosion has intensified,” said Binod Patel, a local, accusing the river control offices concerned of showing apathy to do the needful. On his part, Chief District Officer Basudev Ghimire urged the locals not to worry. “As works to control the river are on at places where there are threats and the water level too is going down, people need not worry,” he said. A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 14, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.