NAWALPUR: An embankment along the Narayani River has helped protect several settlements in Gaindakot from flooding and erosion, even as the river recorded its highest water level in six decades.
The Narayani River reached a record flood level on September 27. In previous years, smaller floods had inundated and eroded several settlements in Gaindakot. This time, however, residents said the flood caused damage to only one settlement in Ward No. 2, while other riverside communities remained largely protected.
According to locals, the settlement in Ward No. 2 was inundated because no embankment had been constructed along the riverbank north of the Narayani Bridge. They credited the approximately five-kilometre embankment built south of the bridge with protecting other settlements from the powerful current.
Manoj Pariyar of Gaindakot said large boulders placed along the riverbank had significantly reduced the impact of the flood.
“The large stones placed along the riverbank protected us,” he said. “The waves reached our houses even after passing over the stones. Without the boulders, we would have suffered much greater damage.”
Residents said the embankment has not only protected settlements but also stopped the river from continuing to erode the banks. The structure was built to safeguard settlements and agricultural land vulnerable to flooding and erosion.
“In previous years, whenever the river flooded, people living along the bank had to move to safer places,” said 41-year-old Rajendra Thapa of Gaindakot-6. “This year, despite the huge flood in the Narayani, we were able to remain safely at home.”
Thapa said river management work in his ward had stopped the erosion and provided residents with greater security. The Irrigation and Water Resources Management Office, Chitwan, constructed a systematic embankment along the Nawalpur side of the river during fiscal year 2082/83.
Local resident Khagisara Rana recalled how previous floods had forced people to remain awake throughout the night out of fear. She said the river management project had brought a sense of security to the community.
“Since last year, erosion by the Narayani River in this area has completely stopped,” Rana said. She recalled that previous floods had turned agricultural land into marshes and forced residents to spend nights worrying about their homes and property.
“The Narayani flood had almost reached my land,” she said, pointing to the embankment, which stands higher than the riverside settlement. “If the government had not built this embankment last year, I might have been left homeless.”
Rana said the embankment had significantly reduced the fear among riverside residents, adding that stopping the erosion had addressed much of their concern about future floods.
Wards 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9 of Gaindakot Municipality lie along the Narayani River south of the bridge. The Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project Office constructed the systematic embankment under a multi-year contract.
According to Gaindakot Municipality-6 Ward Chair Shubhash Chapagain, the project includes around 1,500 metres of protection works using large boulders and approximately five kilometres of concrete embankment.
“The settlements have been protected because the concrete embankment was constructed by raising and strengthening the riverbank,” Chapagain said. “I understand that the embankment built in Gaindakot represents a new and innovative approach in Nepal.”
He said the embankment’s elevation above the settlements helped prevent major damage even during the record flood. However, Chapagain noted that some sections of the concrete embankment were damaged by the flood and would need systematic repairs.
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