National 8 (Spotlight Weekly)

Sign Of Progress

Nepalese and Indian officials have made headway in sorting out the inundation problem linked to the Rasiyawal-Khurdalotan embankment

By KESHAB POUDEL

Each year, countless Nepalese and Indians face the problem of water inundation along their common border in the terai region. This time, the two governments made an effort to show that a solution could be found in their mutual interest.

The recent agreement between senior water resources officials of the two countries has shown that Nepal and India have the capability and willingness to resolve their disputes. Following the progress in the high-level talks on seeking a permanent solution to the problems created by the Rasiyawal-Khurdalotan site in western Nepal, the local people on both sides of the border are heaving a sigh of relief.

According to the Department of Irrigation, more than a dozen sites in Nepal are affected by inundation. Although Nepalese and Indian officials met six months ago to discuss the inundation problem in Lumbini, the talks ended without progress. Both sides stuck to their positions, leaving the core issue unaddressed.

Following talks between Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Indian counterpart, Atal Behari Vajpayee, in the Indian capital in April, the two leaders directed concerned officials on their respective sides to seek a solution to the problems arising from the Laxmanpur and Rasiyawal-Khurdalotan embankments.

The agreement between two countries to study various aspects of the embankments came after a site tour by senior Nepalese and Indian officials. Arjun Shrestha, Executive Director of the Water and Energy Commission, led the Nepalese side. M.M. Goel, Commissioner of the Water Resources Ministry of India, led his country's delegation.

Despite the slow pace, the progress made in the talks is significant for Nepal. According to the agreement, the two sides will prepare a benchmark map of the Marchawar sector and will share information on the flow of water. Both countries have also agreed to observe the water levels in the area.

"We have definitely made certain progress to mitigate water inundation problems in the Rasiyawal-Khudalotan embankment areas," said Shrestha after the talks. "It is a problem for both sides and any solution will benefit both," he added.

Despite the long list of grievances on the modality of the embankment and the damage it has caused, Nepal and India have agreed to continue their studies on various sites. Although the two prime ministers had also directed concerned officials to look into the problem of Laxmanpur Barrage in the mid-western region, progress on that front has been slack.

The Indian side argued that it had just built an embankment to protect its side of the border. Moreover, it blamed the roads and other infrastructure constructed on the Nepalese side for creating havoc on Indian territory. The Nepalese side insisted that the structure was a dam that was responsible for flooding in Nepal. In the Marchabar area, local residents are forced to live under the perpetual threat of disaster.

Instead of addressing the issue at the technical level, Nepalese leaders were quick to politicize it, which ended up complicating the search for a solution. On the Laxmanpur issue, the Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Committee of House of Representatives even ordered the destruction of the embankment built on the other side of the border.

Although it is too early to draw any firm conclusions on the matter, the recent agreement between the technicians of Nepal and India has shown that the two countries can solve their problems through negotiations, benefiting the people living on either side of the border.