A worrying situation has emerged from the Sugauli block of East Champaran district, where the newly constructed embankment on the Sikrahna river at Lalparsa Dhumani Tola has already begun to fail after just three to four days of continuous rain. Cracks have appeared in several stretches of the embankment, and reports of soil subsidence have surfaced in multiple spots, raising serious doubts about the structure's strength even before the flood season has properly set in.
Villagers are furious over what they are witnessing. They allege that crores of rupees were spent on this project, yet the construction quality is nowhere to be seen on the ground. According to residents, the embankment looks less like a sturdy flood barrier and more like a narrow footpath. During construction, neither its width nor its height was raised to the level required, which is why it buckled under the very first spell of rain.
Hope shattered after eight years of suffering
Local villagers Pradeep Kumar and Meghan Sahni described the pain the community has endured. They said the area has been battered by devastating floods every year for the past eight years. When work on this new embankment began, people had genuinely believed their crops and homes would finally be protected. But the embankment's current state has turned that hope back into anxiety, and fear of another flood disaster has returned to the entire region.
Rain in Nepal pushes the river level higher
Meanwhile, continuous rainfall in Nepal and the surrounding catchment areas is steadily pushing up the water level of the Sikrahna river. The water has now risen to the point where it is reaching the top of the piling built during the embankment's construction. Local farmers warn that if the rain keeps up at this pace, avoiding a major flood disaster this time will become extremely difficult.
Farmers fear losing crops and homes as panic spreads
The fear of losing their hard-earned crops and their homes is clearly visible on the faces of local farmers. A sense of dread has gripped the area, since memories of past years' flood devastation are still fresh in people's minds. The embankment's poor condition has only deepened that anxiety.
Questions over administration's approach, demand for immediate repair
Villagers have also questioned the administration's way of working, saying the department should have been alert well in advance. They are asking why construction work is always rushed through at the last minute, right before the floods arrive, instead of solid preparations being made in good time. Residents have demanded that the embankment be repaired immediately so that no major disaster occurs.
