Chitwan, September 2
Work has begun to place large boulders along the Narayani River in Majhuwa of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-17, Chitwan, to control severe riverbank erosion in the area.
Dr Narayan Subedi, chief of the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project in Bharatpur, said the Narayani River had eroded a stretch of nearly 300 metres in Majhuwa, prompting efforts to temporarily control the erosion by placing large boulders.
“It has been very difficult to find stones. We visited areas including Gaindakot and Rapti, along with the chief district officer, and requested local governments to help us locate and supply the stones,” he said. “More stones are still being brought in.”
According to Dr Subedi, the river has already eroded 25 to 30 metres inland.
Dr Subedi, also a disaster management expert, warned that continued erosion could risk splitting western Chitwan into two sections.
Project engineer Shailendra Bista said that 38 truckloads of stones had so far been delivered to the site. Of these, 23 truckloads were brought in on Tuesday alone, with some of the boulders already placed in the river to reduce the force of the current.
The secretariat of Law Minister Sobita Gautam also facilitated efforts to arrange the stones.
Boulders have now been placed along a stretch of more than 15 metres to divert or block the river’s main current, he said. Other protective measures, including the installation of RCC porcupines, are also planned.
The project has awarded an emergency management contract for work along this stretch in Asar (June/July). Pashupati Construction Service Pvt. Ltd. of Bharatpur-10 was awarded the contract for Rs 82.467 million and has begun work.
The company was contracted to carry out various river-control measures in areas vulnerable to erosion along the Narayani River, including locations where protective works had not previously been completed.
The construction company has been given until Jestha 25, 2084 BS to complete the project.
According to project officials, river-control work remains to be completed along around 10.5 kilometres of riverbank in western Chitwan, while various protection measures have already been carried out along the remaining sections.
