Residents object to the “careless” plan to discharge industrial wastewater into rivers

A Dalit from Khadara hamlet in ward 1 of the Budhiganga Rural Municipality of Morang district named Bimala Rishidev has been agitated lately. In the bitterly cold winter, she is fighting to stay warm in her makeshift shelter. Furthermore, the Musahar woman is extremely concerned about flooding in the community as a result of the rural municipality’s careless drainage construction.

“The winter cold and my dread of flooding keep me from getting a good night’s sleep. Bimala bemoaned, “The local unit is determined to continue development work despite the area’s imminent risk of flooding.”

A drainage system is being built as part of a project by the Budhiganga Rural Municipality’s ward 1 office to direct sewage from factories in the Tankisinwari area into the Khadara stream, which drains into the Singhiya river.

Similar to Bimala, many families from Dalit and underprivileged communities have expressed concerned that they will be displaced by flooding as a result of “the immature” development plan of the rural municipality.

The settlement will undoubtedly be at serious risk from flooding from the contaminated waters. Another villager, Shiva Lal Majhi, bemoaned the careless building, saying, “We will have to endure both pollution and floods in the rainy season.”

The locals claim that the construction project is proceeding without an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) or Detailed Project Report (DPR).

Since the ward office began building the drainage system without building any roadways in the region, the locals have been complaining. Disgruntled residents demonstrated in front of the ward office on Sunday and delivered a memorandum calling for an immediate halt to the development.

According to the demonstrators, the ward office began building the drainage system at the request of specific real estate brokers and businessmen. According to a resident who asked to remain anonymous, “the ward office is conspiring with the realtors and industrialists to displace the local people.”

The chairman of ward 1, Somraj Kafle, acknowledged that an industrial company had contributed Rs6 million and that another had promised further funds for the drainage project.

“Factories have contributed funds to maintain the stream and drainage. The project is underway. The ward would pay the remaining expenses, and the plan will be carried out by collecting Rs 10 million from the factories,” Kafle stated.

He claims that the construction project would soon start with a tender invitation.

Experts caution that if the drainage construction plan is carried out, the majority of the Budhiganga Rural Municipality’s wards will be submerged. Similarly, the project will put various wards of Katahari and Jahada rural municipalities, as well as wards 1 and 19 of Biratnagar Metropolitan City, at risk of erosion and floods.

Because of encroachment, the Singhiya river and the Khadara stream have been getting smaller. According to local resident Sunil KC, the surrounding villages may experience floods if further water is discharged into these already overloaded water bodies. “Our entire settlement will be submerged if the ward’s reckless construction plan is carried out,” he continued.

Because industrial sewage would be thrown into the river and stream, locals are also concerned about contamination. “These water bodies will become contaminated as a result of the ward’s negligent choice to release industrial effluent into them. Aquatic ecosystems would also be impacted, according to Dil Kumari Adhikari of Budhiganga ward 1.

The locals have started a phased protest campaign against the ward’s “non-transparent” decision. On Sunday, they held a press conference in Biratnagar and gave an explanation of their reasons for acting. They brought them to the notice of the Morang District Administration Office as well as other relevant municipal authorities. They are calling for the construction of sustainable embankments along the Khadara and Singhiya rivers, an immediate stop to the drainage project, and the release of the DPR and EIA report for the proposed drainage project.