Farmers sell land at low rate due to fears of floods

June 30, 2000
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Bhadrapur, June 30: Local people in Jyamirgadhi Village Development Committee (VDC) in Jhapa district are having to cope with the problem of floods and soil erosion in their area every year arising out of the swift-flowing seasonal streams that originate from the Churia hills in the eastern parts of the district.

The farmers, who are constantly worried about their farmland being washed away by floods with the start of the rainy season every year, have been compelled to sell their land at “Nominal Rate” to private tea developers in the absence of any tangible flood control measures.

Jyamirgadhi lies near the confluence of the Ninda, Handiya Timai and Paliya streams which then drain into the Mechi River that flows from the eastern flanks of the VDC. These streams flow through parts of Mechinagar Municipality, Dhaijan VDC and Duwagadhi VDC.

All the nine wards of Jyamirgadhi VDC are under the threat of erosion by these streams while the Mechi River has shifted its course westward at Ward no. 2.

According to statistics made available by the vdc office, hundreds of bigaha of land at Ward no. 1,4,5,6 and 7 of the VDC has been washed away by the Ninda Khola stream every year. The Ninda-Dhobikhola Irrigation Project constructed on the initiatives of the local small farmers has been ravaged by floods.

It is estimated that the project constructed at the total cost of Rs 1.5 million will cost some six million rupees for its repair.

Implementation of effective flood control measures, checking cattle smuggling, restraining the rapid expansion of tea gardens and bringing parts of the VDC which lie on the other side of the Mechi River into the mainstream are some of the challenges before the VDC, chairman of Jyamirgadhi VDC Sriman Singh Rajbanshi says.

Jyamirgadhi is still out of the sight of development planners, the district administration and development agencies, he complained.

Jyamirgadhi lies about seven kilometres north east of Chandragadhi, the district headquarters.

Meanwhile in Kakarvitta, ninety five per cent of the work has been completed on Nepal’s eastern gate under construction at the Nepal-India border at Kakarvitta at a cost of Rs 1,500,000 with the joint investment of Mechinagar Municipality and Jhapa District Development Committee.

According to mayor of Mechinagar Municipality Rabin Koirala, a tower will also be constructed at the gate.

According to the immigration office at Kakarvitta, 6,242 foreign tourists entered Nepal and 5,234 left for India through this entry point in fiscal year 2055/56 B.S. Following the opening of the Nepal-Bangladesh Fulbari route last year.

According to the tourism office, 16,921 Indian tourists entered Nepal through this point during the period.

Meanwhile, an embankment at Ward no 1 and 6 of Mechinagar, recently constructed at a cost of Rs 140,000 with the people’s participation, has been damaged by flood. Local residents here have been affected by the damage to the embankment which was constructed at Muktiganga Khola east of the Pashang Lhamu Memorial City auditorium, according to Mayor Koirala.