Kathmandu, June 27: Minister for Water Resources Khum Bahadur Khadka said that he met the Indian Ambassador today and urged him to take immediate steps to resolve the inundation problem created by the construction of dam and embankment on the Rapti River.

Giving a statement of public importance at the meeting of the House of Representatives today, Minister Khadka made it clear that the Ministry of Water Resources has invited the secretary at the Indian Water Resources Ministry to discuss this matter and other relevant issues.

Mr Khadka said that Nepal had raised the issue seriously during the recent visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to India and also during the visit of Indian foreign secretary to Nepal.

According to the information provided by the Minister for Water Resources, an Indo-Nepal standing committee comprising senior technical officers of the two countries was constituted in 1985 to hold discussions, make inspection, and find resolution to the issue of inundation along the Nepal-India border.

Issue of inundation caused in Banke district as a result of the construction of the Laxmanpur barrage was raised at the committee since its first meeting in 1986 to the ninth meeting in 1994 and it was agreed to make joint inspection of the spot and submit a report but the joint inspection has not taken place.

At the tenth meeting of the committee held at Kathmandu in November 1999, it was agreed to conduct a joint survey and inspection on the impact as a result of the Laxmanpur barrage and submit a report by January 2000 but the survey could not take place within January as the Indian side did not agree for field visit in time. Meanwhile, India completed construction of 13.6 km long embankment, according to information provided to the House by the Minister for Water Resources.

At the meeting of the Nepalese and Indian liaison officers held at Bahraich on May 19, there was difference between the two sides on the reason of inundation and the two sides decided to submit reports to their respective sides and accordingly the district irrigation office, Banke prepared a report, he added.

According to the report, construction of 284 metre long barrage was started by Sarayu canal part-6 under the Irrigation Department in 1981 and completed on the Rapti flowing towards India in 1985 at a place called Laxmanpur of Bahraich district. The 10 km long embankment in the right bank of the river at a distance of 10 km from Laxmanpur barrage at Kalakalawa village of India was completed in April, 2000.

The report further states that 9,951 families of 1,723 household and 2,412 bighas of Holiya, Betahani, Gangapur, Mataihiya and Fatepur VDCs of Banke district have been the worst affected by inundation caused by the Rapti River.

Likewise, 5,223 families of 856 households 955 bighas of land of Holiya, Betahani, Gangapur and Fatepur VDCs of Banke district have been affected by the river.

The Ministry of Water Resources had written to the Ministry of External Affairs on February 25 to request Indian authorities not to stop the construction of the embankment immediately after learning that India was constructing an embankment on the right bank of the Rapti River.

In the letter written by the Ministry of Water Resources to the Indian External Affairs Ministry on May 26, the Government of India had been requested to take immediate steps for opening of the blocked drainage so that its natural flow of the river is not affected and to resolve the problem of adverse effect on Nepal by the Rapti barrage and the embankment as 1,723 families on the Nepalese side would be affected and displaced in the forthcoming rainy season, Minister Khadka said.

At the fifth meeting of the Nepal-India high level task force held in Kathmandu on June 6-7, the fact that the inundation problem in the Nepali side would be more aggravated in the rainy season due to the construction of the embankment by India was informed. During the meeting of the Water Resources Ministry secretary of the two countries on June 7, extensive discussions on the issues was held and it was decided that a high level technical team would inspect the area within a week and submit a report.

As agreed by the water resources secretaries of the two countries at the meeting of the high level task force, a joint inspection was carried out on June 20.

The Nepalese team comprised the deputy director general of the Department of Irrigation and the Indian team was led by the director of the Ganga Flood Control Commission. After the inspection, the Indian side said that the barrage had been constructed to save inundation of the villages in the Indian side.