PHIDIM: Construction of an embankment to protect the Majhitar settlement along the Hewa River on the border of Phidim Municipality and Hilihang Rural Municipality in Panchthar has been completed, providing relief to local residents who have faced years of river erosion.
The Irrigation and Water Resources Project Office, Jhapa, built embankments on both sides of the Henwa River to safeguard nearby settlements and farmland.
According to project technician Dinesh Subedi, a 180-metre embankment was constructed on the Hilihang side and a 96-metre embankment on the Phidim side. The structures are three metres high.
Subedi said the embankment was built to protect settlements and agricultural land from recurring erosion. At a cost of Rs 30 million, contractor Rankali Mata Construction Company completed a total of 276 metres of embankment along the Hewa River and another 200 metres along the Kabeli River on the Panchthar-Taplejung border.
The Hewa River has been eroding the commercially important and tourism-oriented Majhitar area for the past three years after changing its course. Floods and erosion have damaged hundreds of ropanis of cultivable land and affected irrigation and drinking water sources.
Birendra Mangrati, coordinator of the Forest, Environment and Disaster Management Committee of Hilihang Rural Municipality, said the embankment project was launched this year to reduce the growing threat to settlements and farmland.
He added that the federal government is preparing to allocate additional funds in the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 to extend the embankment.
“As the local government’s budget is insufficient, we have been coordinating with the federal government to secure additional funding,” Mangrati said. “That has enabled us to begin the work this year.”
The Majhitar settlement has also come under increasing threat due to changes in the flow of the Tamor River.
“On one side, the Henwa River has been causing annual damage, while on the other, the Tamor River has shifted towards the settlement, increasing the risk,” said local resident Bir Bahadur Majhi. “An embankment is also needed along the Tamor.”
Ram Kumar Majhi, president of the Nepal Majhi Utthan Sangh, Panchthar, said the newly completed embankment has reduced the immediate risk to the main settlement.
Majhitar is well known for its traditional fish dishes and is a popular stop for visitors travelling to Phidim. Majhi said the embankment has brought much-needed relief to local residents and business owners who have long feared flood damage, but stressed that more comprehensive river protection measures are still needed in the future.
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