Rautaht, August 4

Locals of Banjaraha at Ishnath Municipality today demanded that the embankment constructed in the Lalbakaiya River be removed as they did want inundation and flooding in Rautahat.

Locals had demanded removal of the dam when a government team led by CDO Kiran Thapa and security forces visited Banjaraha. Locals here have been facing inundation problem for the past eight years due to the dam constructed by India.

Locals complained that they had been facing the problem of inundation and flooding ever since India constructed a tall embankment in the river eight

years ago.

Flood in Lalbakaiya River on July 11 and 12 had inundated Banjaraha village and around 500 bigha land in the village is still under water.

Ward No 1 Chair of Ishnath Municipality Bigu Byash bemoaned that their repeated pleas to the government to save the village had fallen on deaf ears.

CDO Thapa admitted that India’s dam had inundated Nepali settlements and said the local government was doing everything to repair the embankment built by the Nepali side to protect locals from flooding and inundation. Thapa pledged to talk to the Indian side diplomatically and resolve the problem.