Gulariya Faces Severe Flood Risk Due to Budget Shortfall

The district headquarters of Bardiya, Gulariya, is at severe risk of flooding and riverbank erosion due to the absence of an emergency budget for flood prevention. According to technical experts from the Babai, Bhada, and Aurahi River Management Office, areas of Gulariya could face major damage as soon as monsoon floods hit.

Prakash Bhattarai, the acting head of the Babai, Bhada, and Aurahi River Management Project, revealed that not only is there no dedicated budget for embankment construction, but even emergency funds to prevent immediate flood damage are unavailable. He stated the project lacks essential resources such as sandbags, ropes, and labor wages, which are crucial for emergency response.

High-Risk Areas Without Embankments

Without embankments in flood-prone areas like Balapur, Prayagpur, and Rampur Tappu, the entire Gulariya headquarters remains under high flood threat. Though the project requested around NPR 800 million for embankment construction this fiscal year, the government has not released the necessary funds.

The Babai, Bhada, Aurahi River Management Project, established in Gulariya on October 25, 2017, was set up to control erosion and reduce flood impacts. However, before completing its work, it is now being transferred to Dadeldhura starting July 2025. The liaison office will continue to operate from the Karnali River Management Project in Rajapur.

Currently, only two technical staff are working on the project. After the former office head retired on May 13, 2025, the project is operating under an interim leadership.

Lawmakers and Officials Inspect Vulnerable Areas

Local lawmaker Sanjaya Kumar Gautam, Chief District Officer Surendra Paudel, security officers, and technical teams from the project recently visited vulnerable zones like Rampur Tappu in Wards 4 and 5 of Gulariya to assess potential disaster impact.

MP Gautam strongly criticized the government’s decision to transfer the project to another location, calling it a “wrong step taken in the name of budget cuts.” “You cannot transfer an incomplete project worth billions,” he said. “Without emergency funds, Gulariya Wards 4 and 5 will face massive human and property losses.”

He warned that with forecasts of heavy rainfall this year, it’s impossible to imagine the extent of damage that could occur in the district headquarters if floods hit.

Project Delays and Budget Challenges

The original goal of the project was to build embankments along 28 km of Babai, 22 km of Bhada, and 26 km of Aurahi rivers within five years. Due to budget limitations, the timeline was extended until 2027/28. The project was initially estimated to cost around NPR 4 billion, but the revised master plan approved in July 2022 raised the budget to NPR 8.48 billion.

Despite budget approval, fund disbursement has not matched the requested amounts, significantly slowing down progress. According to Bhattarai, the project has achieved 77.85% physical progress in Babai, 4.43% in Bhada, and only 2.22% in Aurahi.

So far, around NPR 2.41 billion has already been spent.

Locals Fear the Worst

Farmers like Rangi Tharu of Gulariya Ward 4 say they cannot sleep at night due to fear that a large flood could wash away their entire village and farmland. The lack of embankments in high-risk zones has heightened anxiety among residents.

Severe floods in 2014 and 2017 submerged about 90% of Babai’s floodplain, claimed 40 lives, and damaged over 500 houses. Entire settlements like Rampur Tappu in Gulariya-4 and Dugrahi in Barbardiya-1 were washed away. This disaster led to the establishment of the river management project office.