RAUTAHAT, June 15: Indian authorities have strengthened and raised an embankment along the border between Gaur in Rautahat and Bairgania in India, reportedly under the pretext of repair work, sparking fresh concerns over flooding in Nepal.
The move has drawn criticism because regulations prohibit either country from constructing, expanding or altering physical structures within or near the no man's land area without mutual agreement. Local residents say the repair work has effectively made the embankment higher and stronger.
International norms also discourage border structures that could cause flooding or environmental damage in neighboring territory. According to local resident Amit Keshari, the embankment in Bairgania has long obstructed floodwaters during the monsoon, leading to inundation in Gaur and dozens of nearby Nepali villages.
Keshari said India built a 15-foot-high, five-kilometer-long embankment along the border to protect Bairgania and other towns in Bihar from flooding. As a result, floodwaters are diverted toward Nepal. He added that Indian authorities routinely keep the three sluice gates on the eastern section of the embankment closed, causing annual flooding in Gaur municipality.
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He also claimed that armed personnel from India's border security force remain stationed at the embankment around the clock to prevent locals from damaging it or opening the sluice gates during floods.
According to Gaur resident and secretary of the Rautahat chapter of the Nepal Journalists Association, Gautam Shrestha, the elevated embankment blocks the natural drainage of water flowing from the Lalkebaiya and Bagmati rivers. The trapped water backs up and spills into Nepali settlements.
Shrestha said additional soil has recently been added to the ring embankment in Bairgania, further restricting floodwater flow during the rainy season and increasing the risk of severe inundation in Gaur and surrounding areas. He noted that repeated flooding has caused significant losses of life and property.
A similar attempt to raise the embankment was halted several years ago during the tenure of then Chief District Officer Kiran Thapa after strong objections from Nepali authorities and the Armed Police Force.
Former Gaur Mayor Ajay Kumar Gupta said agreements between Nepal and India prohibit either side from unilaterally constructing embankments, roads or other elevated structures within a specified distance of the border. He alleged that India is not only adding soil to the embankment but also widening it under the guise of maintenance.
Gupta said the five-kilometer embankment stretches from the Bagmati River in the east to Banjaraha village beyond the Bakaiya River in the west, contributing to annual flooding in Gaur.
He recalled that when Gaur Municipality attempted to build riverbank protection structures along the Bakaiya River in Ward No. 2 in 2020, Indian authorities objected. Now, he said, India is freely reinforcing the embankment without consultation.
Gupta further argued that the closure of sluice gates beneath the embankment has worsened flooding in Gaur, with the town facing inundation almost every year because water cannot drain naturally.
Rautahat Chief District Officer Dinesh Sagar Bhusal said he has raised the issue with his counterpart in India's Sitamarhi district, District Magistrate Ruchi Pandey. According to Bhusal, Pandey informed him that the repair work is being carried out under instructions from the Indian central government.
As the issue involves an international border and bilateral agreements, former chief ministers of Madhesh Province have repeatedly urged the federal government to seek a permanent solution through diplomatic channels and formal engagement with India.
