Mahendranagar, Apr. 1:The proposed Pancheshwor dam and its auxiliary dam to be constructed under the Pancheshwor Multi-purpose Project have heightened the risk of Jhulaghat, Amchaura and Pancheswor VDCs of Baitadi district, Lali VDC of Darchula and Rupal, Shirsha and Alaital VDCs of Dadeldhura on Nepalese side being inundated.

Most of the speakers at a public hearing organised in course of preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) with a view to collecting suggestions on assessing the environmental impact of the villages around the dams, determining the scope of assessment and laying down conditions for assessment put across their views against the Pancheshwor Dam and its Auxiliary Dam.

The public hearing was organised jointly by Metcon, East Consultants, the Ministry of Environment and the Pancheshwor Multi-purpose Project.

With a view to keeping safe the land on Indian side from the construction of the Pancheshwor Dam, the survey of India is conducting a topographical survey on both sides of the Mahakali river at an altitude of 420 metre from Purnagiri to Pancheshwor after which the designing of the Purnagiri Dam will be completed. The dam is feared to inundate Jogbudha, Shirsha, Alital, Ragun and other fertile land of Dadeldhura district.

On the occasion, ddc chairman Rhishiraj Lumsali said an auxiliary dam to the Pancheshwor Project should be constructed at Rupaligad so that Nepal can benefit.

Construction of these dams is likely to inundate 12,186 hectares of land on Nepalese side, experts say.

A host of other speakers including Yagyaraj Joshi, environmentalist Prof. Upendra Man Malla and project engineer Narendra Singh Bhandari also spoke at the function chaired by mayor of Mahendranagar Surya Bahadur Kunwar.