Jhapa, July 20

The squatters’ settlement on the banks of the Mechi River in Jhapa’s Bhadrapur Municipality-5 is at the risk of swept away.

Though 16 families of the settlement have been displaced lately, other 64 households are still staying put at the place facing the risk. Though a dam is being constructed with the view to saving the settlement, the risk for the settlement still exists.

“As the dam is incomplete, flood water gushed into the settlement and sixteen families there had to leave their houses,” said a local Shyamal Sarkar, adding, “Though we’d been suffering from inundation every year, lately there has been a risk of their whole settlement being swept away.

As per a source, some 70 metres of the embankment is yet to be constructed. “There is a 170-metre embankment along the river bank. Delay in the construction of the remaining section of the embankment has put the entire settlement at risk,” said local Ajaya Singh, adding they have urged the authorities concerned about the situation.

“We went to many places, from the (Bhadrapur) municipality to the bridge construction company to the postal road construction project, but to no avail,” Singh said.

Bhadrapur Ward-5 chair Bandhu Karki spoke of the plan to shift the displaced to a safe place. “We can’t do anything other than shifting the displaced to a safe place due to lack of resources,” he said.

Engineer Surendra Khatiwada of the bridge construction company said they were ready to complete construction of the embankment provided the road project released budget for the same.

As per sources, some 124 households in Bhaisabari, 115 of Bhangbari and over 100 of Hattimara, besides the houses in the squatters’ settlement are under the threat of flood and erosion now.