BIRGUNJ: The Birgunj–Narayan Irrigation Management Office has begun removing houses, huts, and other structures built illegally along the banks of the Gandak Canal.
The drive started from this morning in areas extending from Jankitola to Gandak Chowk along the canal corridor.
According to the office, more than 300 encroached structures—including houses, huts, shops, and fish ponds constructed by locals—are being cleared. The operation is being carried out with the support of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel.
Office Chief Manoj Prasad Patel said the eviction campaign covers around 26 kilometers of the canal section in Parsa district. “We are using four excavators on both sides of the Gandak Canal to remove encroachments,” he said. “Despite adverse weather conditions due to heavy rainfall in Parsa, the operation has started from this morning.”
The Gandak Irrigation and Hydropower Project Agreement between Nepal and India was signed on December 4, 1956. Under the agreement, a barrage was constructed on the Narayani River by India to support irrigation in both countries.
As part of the project, the Gandak Canal system was built with a capacity of 850 cusecs of water to irrigate 37,400 hectares in the southern parts of Parsa, Bara, and Rautahat.
The canal enters Nepal through Jankitola at the Nepal–India border and runs 81 kilometers within Nepal. It supplies irrigation through nine distribution structures and 87 subsidiary structures across Parsa, Bara, and Rautahat.
Chief Patel added that although the agreement covers irrigation for 37,400 hectares, only about 28,000 hectares are currently being irrigated.
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